Pittsburgh artist and influencer Malcolm Xavier7 donates “Golden Lands” to Pittsburgh Juneteenth Art Scavenger Hunt

Pittsburgh artist and influencer Malcolm Xavier7 donates “Golden Lands” to Pittsburgh Juneteenth Art Scavenger Hunt, hosted by Black Art Expo and Black Culture Trivia

Mixed media artist and Instagram influencer Malcolm Xavier7 will contribute original artwork to Black Art Expo and Black Culture Trivia’s annual Juneteenth Celebration. The piece encapsulates the intersecting historical junctures of African trauma and land riches. Malcolm’s contribution to the event functions as a poignant commentary on generational strength in the face of dispossession.

The Juneteenth Art Scavenger Hunt was created by Pittsburgh artist and influencer Chantel Kelli. Kelli, the founder of both Black Art Expo and Black Culture Trivia, is taking a full- sensory approach to Juneteenth education. By networking with fellow artists, Kelli has curated a collection of 19 themed art pieces, which will be strategically placed across Pittsburgh’s North, South, East, and West sides, Homestead, and the Hill District. The location of these works will be revealed as participants correctly answer trivia questions distributed through Kelli’s Instagram account. Players who recover the hidden art pieces, valued at over $10,000 in total, will be able to claim the works for free. Kelli’s participation-heavy event will call attention to gaps in education, chronic deliberate miseducation, and hijacked narratives. The scavenger hunt trivia questions will go live on Kelli’s Instagram account @_popchanny at 11:00 AM EST on June 19, 2021.

As one of this year’s contributors, Malcolm Xavier7 created an original work valued at $10,000 for the Juneteenth celebration. The piece, titled “Golden land”, is a beautiful 36x48 canvas African shape made up of yellow, green, and red acrylic paint. Malcolm’s work is often recognizable through his incorporation of gold leaf. For “Golden Land”, he has depicted a rising sun with this trademark material. The painting visually summarizes a narrative stretching back to 1619 and beyond. Malcolm’s use of gold symbolizes the riches of the African landscape. His incorporation of yellow, green, and red extends beyond their association with the African flag; for Malcolm, these colors represent distinct, historical aspects. The yellow symbolizes the slaves, stripped of all their culture, family, and pride. The red represents the slave that bled to be free, while the green represents the generations that carry the trauma of their ancestors. Xavier finished the painting with hand-poured resin.

“Golden Land” prints are for sale through malcolmxavier7.com. Ten percent of the proceeds from the prints will be donated to help create Saturday art programs for Pittsburgh youth.

Malcolm Xavier7 is a mixed media artist and Instagram art influencer from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Malcolm also spent time in California before moving back to the 412 in 2015. He specializes in colorful pour art with gold leaf-infused collages inspired by Black culture, pain, and love. When he is not creating fine art, making gallery appearances, or managing pop-up shows, Malcolm runs his graphic design firm “Xavier Graphic House”, which caters to global businesses and artists. Malcolm’s decision to work with mainstream businesses has yielded an impressive and growing client list and these opportunities have afforded him greater artistic independence. He focuses on keeping his art affordable as he attempts to build safe, creative spaces for people from his culture.