"To all the kind art enthusiasts from Singapore, Hong Kong, Germany, China, Japan, France, and other countries who love what I am blogging, please note that I would love to be invited to your country.  As an exhibiting Rhythmistic Visual Artist.  An Arts Educator.  Or a Deep Rhythmistic Residency. 

 

Once you work out the logistics, travel, and my fees, I am so there! Great art thrives on these exchanges in ideas, methods, collecting, and teaching.  Appreciation, empathy and collecting often merge in these encounters of Visual brilliances, open exchanges and institutionally cultural discourse.  

My passport and various proven innovative artistic assets are at the ready.  Until then, I continue to reach, teach and share the unique greatness of all things Rhythmistic via this blogosphere! 

Visit my website for more insights and use our contact tab to express your desire and logistics.

"I often offer curators, collectors, museums & galleries my "Passion Fruit" Rhythmistic visual art exhibition that recontextualizes the healthy, iconic, life-giving Watermelon. When I say often, this goes way back to the last quarter of the 20th Century. Allow me to shed a little context on this masterful body of visual art. 

 I founded B.A.G. The Black Arts Guild in 1970 to facilitate us young talented Black artists' evolution from student to career level professionals. 

( This was after, as a 16-year-old teenager, I saw the frustration and devastation expressed in Chicago per both the riots following the murder of Dr. King along with the SDS-Hippie infused riots that beset the 1968 Democratic Convention. At that time, I was working as the Grill Chef at Stouffer's super popular, Top of the Rock Restaurant on the 40th floor of the Prudential Building.  Both times our Mayor Daley issued shot-to-kill orders along with a Dusk to dawn curfew. So, I had to stay there overnight pondering my life, being an artist and how to make a positive contribution as it appeared our Nation was unraveling.  Eureka!! I would start an Art-Gang! B.A.G. was formed two years later. )

An original member, Jim Smoote, set the pace for productivity and was doing some watermelon themed works. "

Poster by Dalton Brown.

 "We embraced it. IE; The Watermelon became our logo and we generated a bold assortment of visual art based on it. B.A.G lasted 8 years and was decommissioned in 1978. The Elders in the Black Art scene hated our concepts and further art historians would choose to marginalize B.A.G.s impressive footprint and legacy. Sort of like being Black-balled in Black circles for being universally Black."

"Stealmelon Thiefa" Circa 1975, Turtel Onli. Acrylics on canvas.

 

In 1976 for the Bicentennial of the United States of American B.A.G. was honored to be invited to present its watermelon themed artworks as a featured group exhibition in Chicago at the Museum of Science & Industry for its annual Black Esthetics Program. Per the vision of Douglas Williams, the event Executive Director. The exhibition was called "The 200 Year Old Watermelon Eater".

Photo, Melon, and Design by Turtel Onli

Most of its members went on to become influential visual artists in Illustration, Art Education, Art Therapy, Publishing, and Arts Management.

"Place Setting" was leased for a real estate sell. The actual art is still available to experience in exhibitions or to acquire.

Prof. Onli appreciating the solo exhibition at the ETA Complex.

Excerpts from the Rhythmistic "Passion Fruit" collection on display in Chicago

 at the Black Fine Art Expo in the historic Bronzeville District. 

"I still showcase watermelon themed bodies of Rhythmistic fine art called "Passion Fruit" per my studio in the Ravenswood District of Chicago. Oh, the almighty universal watermelon being red, black & green fits the symbolism of the very influentially successful Black Cultural Revolution of the 1960s / 1970s."

I was honored to do a B.A.G. revival exhibition 

with students at the Middlebury College in 2016 thanks to Tamir Williams.

Prof. Onli with an enthusiastic collector who had just acquired 

a watermelon themed Rhythmistic painting from the "Passion Fruit" collection.

" In fact, this posting is actually a scream to curators, museums, galleries and astute collectors that I want to showcase this collection of Watermelon themed Rhythmistic Fine Art on their watch.  In other words, this is a proposal."

Rhythmistic oil paintings by Turtel Onli.

 I ran across this set of prompts related to Art Musuems and such. Given that my practice in a feast for Musuems, galleries and curators in that I generate complete and expanding bodies or collections of distinct Rhythmistic treatments of visual art focused on a central theme. 

 Such as "No Evils", "Passion Fruit", and more. Ready-made and adaptable!

Plus, I am open to input on the parts of the client, host, sponsor or collector.

• What does it mean to be an art institution?
• How did the collection come into existence?
• What has changed due to taste, society, and popular thought?
• How do the Museums deal with the problematic objects housed within the collections?
• Why do the Museums continue to care and conserve certain objects, yet not others?
• Who are the donors that have made this possible?
• What is the future of museums and how does a museum fit into these new conversations about the role of museums?  

 CHICAGO- Rhythmistic: Future-Primitif Visual Artist, Prof. Turtel Onli often links, in his persistent practice, concepts that flow from Biblical themes to Cosmic fantasy.

His "Off The Cross" 44" X 30" acrylics on canvas painting from 1994 clearly informs his 2022 Oils on 24" X 36" wooden panel of "NOG Emerges". 

The first shows Jesus passionately transcending the limits of crucifixion. The second shows the emanated arrival of NOG to protect his home-world. Both are universally compelling museum collection worthy samples of Rhythmism from the genre's founder / advocate.

 

The “Rhythmistic Adinkra-Bambara Madonna” quilt, by Prof. Turtel Onli, currently on exhibition is not only the outstanding show-stopper at the Hyde Park Art Center of Chicago’s extravagant showcase but also perfectly suits the core values of your mission statement. This group exhibition, “Parapluie” closes Oct. 27^th, 2024.

 

 

This will be a highly valued addition to your permanent collection at the current price of $25,000.00

CONTACT:  Cell: 773-726-1610  Email: onli@sbcglobal.net

 

The “Rhythmistic Adinkra-Bambara Madonna”,  Textile-Art, by Prof. Turtel Onli, currently on exhibition is not only the outstanding show-stopper at the Hyde Park Art Center of Chicago’s extravagant showcase but also perfectly suits the core values of your mission statement.

 

This will be a highly valued addition to your permanent collection at the current price of $25,000.00

CONTACT:  Cell: 773-726-1610  Email: onli@sbcglobal.net

 

ONLI STUDIOS LLC is the unique supplier of limited edition 

highly valued Rhythmistic Visual Art to the astute and well resourced.

   Prof. Turtel Onl has effectively pioneered Rhythmism as a Future-Primitif approach to the Visual Arts that establishes diversity without the orthodox triggers of suffering or oppression that usually led to mixed results or distracting conflicts.

Ownership is the highest form of appreciation.

 

·       Prof. Onli has earned a BFA in Art Education along with a M.A.A.T. in Art Therapy from the prestigious School of the Art Institute of Chicago with additional studies at the University of Chicago, The Centre Pompidou and The l’Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts.

 

·       Onli’s Rhythmistic Visual Art has been exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, The Museum of Science & Industry, Chicago, The New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, Art Expo, New York, The Limelight Clubs, The FIAP, The Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, The DuSable Museum of Black History, Chicago, The Box Factory For The Arts, Saint Joseph and a host of other important venues.

·       Onli’s Rhythmistic illustrations have appeared in publications such as The Paris Metro, Holt, Rinehart & Winstons’ textbook covers, Chicago Magazine, Oui Magazine, Ebony Jr. and the Singer Society For Visual Education along with album covers for George Clinton, Captain Sky, Curtis Blow. Followed by an infamous cover designed for the Rolling Stones that did not pass censorship restrictions.

 

Rolling Stones' member looking over the finished album cover by Onli before it was censored.

The album-cover for George Clinton , the result of an all-night art-jam with Onli and Pedro Bell.

Onli was the attention getting regular illustrator for 

PLAYBOY Magazine's ultra-cool OUI MAGAZINE!

Onli was a regular illustrator for Holt, Rinehart & WInstons' college textbook division.

·       Onli’s Rhythmistic works are included in anthologies and publications such as The New York Times, The International Herald, "Freedom Rhythm & Sound", “Picturing the Modern Amazon”, “It’s Life As I Know It”, “Comics Super Heroes”, “Black Comix”, “Black Comix Returns”, PTA Magazine, The Chicago Sun Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Paris Metro, MODE Avant Garde, and others notable media outlets such as WGN and the E-Channel.

This early Rhythmistic album cover opens the gallery section to this landmark coffee table book.

Onli's Rhythmistic Cool Globe was featured int he New York Times as the collection of globes toured the world to attract attention to solutions to climate change.

Onli brought his dynamic Rhythmistic awesomeness to trendy publications in Paris.

 Prof. Onli has taught or been an Artist-In-Residence at Ox Bow / School of the Art Institute of Chicago, The University of Illinois, Chicago, Columbia College, Harold Washington College and the Chicago Public Schools.

Onli is that rare visual artist who has hypothesized, and methodically grew a Visual Arts genre in the ism he calls Rhythmism. Extracted from his innate Black American late 1960s experience and melded with his Hippie Counter-Culture infused universally more mainstream experiences, impact and studies.

·       Proven in critical circles. Included in important collections. 

Underperforming with immense growth potential.

 

·       The entrepreneurial aspect of Onli’s practices has grown in experience and capacity to now offer your institution ownership and access to these distinct bodies of his ongoing Rhythmistic Visual Art.

Per the Gift Shop of the Musuem of Contemporary Art, Chicago.

 "NOG" Onli's first Rhythmistic character on a best selling Tote-Bag.

Open Studios pix:

 

It is noted that Warhol did not coin the term “Pop Art”, nor did Picasso innovate the genre of “Cubism”.  Yet, here is Onli, into a 50 year long practice of Rhythmism in Fine Art, Illustrations, Wearable Art, Public Art, Education, Art Therapy and indie Graphic Novels. Dali was not the founder of “Surrealism” and Basquiat did not declare “Street Art” as a vogue. Onli, however, begat Rhythmism as a Future-Primitif approach to the visual arts.

 
Wikipedia has a page dedicated to Onli’s practices and legacy.

·       Paying the Artist directly offers you better value and insights as you are dealing with the unfiltered resources and inventory offered by the Artist. Not the filtered edited and often overvalued offerings of the gallery or art dealer’s mechanisms.

 

·       The successful pioneering of a visual arts genre is not the stuff of trendiness or fads.

Curator Dan Nadel visited Onli's Rhythmistic Residency.

·       Your mission statement and resources are perfect for ONLI STUDIOS limited edition Rhythmistic offerings that will expand your important permanent collections and dynamic programming options.