THE ART OF TURTEL ONLI

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

July 14, 2020

RESIDENCY

Turtel Onli is an artist, entrepreneur, author, art therapist, educator, and publisher.

Onli's work has touched upon a variety of disciplines in fine and applied visual art, exploring painting, drawing, illustration, publishing, fashion, and multimedia production. Onli has authored and illustrated numerous comic books and graphic novels, including NOG, Protector of the Pyramids, Malcolm 10, Nog Nu and Grammar Patrol.

We had the chance to catch up with Turtel, as he begins his residency:

What are you most excited about as a resident artist at Hyde Park Art Center?

This residency gives me the setting and connections to link my vintage stage practice to its Hyde Park roots, while I focus on bringing technique to concept, and concept to expression in extending my future-primitif Rhythmistic Quilts collection. I started this collection in 1989 so it has been a slow flow.

Where are you drawing inspiration from these days?

I am excited that 2020 is my 50th year of being a "professional visual artist."

How would you define your practice and what keeps it alive?

My practice is mostly 2D but has been buttressed in the experimental and applied (as well as within) aspects of creativity, culture, and commerce. This is a nexus of Rhythmistic Fine Art, Illustration, Indie Black Age Graphic Novels, Textile Art plus a vocation of Art Education / Art Therapy. I am trying to expand the narrative of "Black Art" by establishing "Rhythmism" as a genre.

Now accepting applications for the Radicle Studio residency!

Each year, Hyde Park Art Center awards two Chicago-based artists with year-long residencies as part of the Jackman Goldwasser Residency program. Inspired by the radicle, the first part of a seedling to burst forth from a seed, rooting itself deeply into the earth, our Radicle Studio Residency's goal is for artists to be rooted for a year at the Art Center through free studio space to make work and research new projects, access to the Art Center’s broad international network of artists and resources, connection with a dynamic public.