A pale yellow “X” emerges as if from volcanic ash in Vaughn Spann’s Marked Man, 2019. Bolded in a distinct serif typeface, the letter defines Spann’s significant Marked Man series. In this body of work Spann explores the formal qualities of the letter “X” while also drawing upon themes of memory, activism, history of art and the artist’s identity as a Black man. The present work is part of a repeated investigation into the graphic qualities of the letter but contains a weightier conceptual exploration of racial violence.
Spann first acknowledges the Marked Man series in formal terms, “They came from an interest in assigning new meaning to an extremely recognizable form. How can I take an X, allow it to be my muse for painting, invite conversations of color, line, form,” but stresses the importance of allowing the form to “open deeper conversations.”i Indeed, Marked Man originates from Spann’s pivotal and sadly familiar experience of systemic racism: “I found myself severely traumatized by a stop and frisk altercation during college as I was profiled by police while leaving a study session. I felt the weight of having to spread my legs and hold my hands up in the air which while feel defenseless, violated and infuriated which sparked an interest into the form.”ii This notably coincided with Spann studying at Yale University under the tutelage of Claudia Rankine, whose examination of daily racial aggressions and social interactions against black men was pivotal for Spann’s development of his Marked Man series.
The act of creating each work in the series represents a distinct individual that is one amongst a group. Each “X” is a person, a target and a specific variable. Created by an energetic application of thickly polymer paint, the unique contours and subtle colors of each work provide the grounds for repeated formal and conceptual exploration. The present example reads particularly like the product of geological forces and is a monument to a distinct personality.
