By Meghan E. Gattignolo
Believe it or not, all the water on Earth today is the same water that was present on the planet’s surface more than 4 billion years ago. We drink the same water as our ancestors, as well as the creatures that roamed the planet before us. No resident of Earth could exist, evolve, or attempt to understand the universe without water. Water has given us shape and formed our histories. This powerful substance is the medium artist and former Austin Peay State University student Khari Turner chooses to work with when he creates his magnificent pieces that explore the relationship of humanity with its water.
Artist Khari Turner was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, close to his grandparents. Indeed, his love of art comes from drawing alongside his grandfather. After wrestling with life’s ups and downs, and not finding fulfillment in low-wage jobs, Khari enrolled at Austin Peay State University in 2015 in a bid to change the trajectory of his life. After earning his BFA in Studio Art four years later, he moved to Brooklyn, New York, where he now lives, continues his education, and creates. He’s a promising emerging artist with an exciting future ahead of him.
From Khari Turner’s exhibition in The New Gallery at Austin Peay State University. Photo by Meghan Gattignolo.
Khari’s unique approach to art expression is deeply connected to nature, the human experience, and natural forces. To the materials he uses – ocean and lake water he sources himself – to his process of allowing his mixture of water and ink to dry naturally, his art relies on more than just his own creativity to make his body of work.
While his commitment to his creative process runs deep, the themes that appear in Khari’s art are also quite profound. He uses his art to feel a connection to his ancestors and Africa. Khari imagines what the ancestors of the Black community must have endured during the years the Transatlantic Slave Trade was active. Many believe the souls that died during the Middle Passage never left the ocean, and so water brings people in communion with their ancestors. In touching the water and letting its flow take over his pieces, Khari feels that connection in a visceral way, letting the water do what it does best and revealing what needs to be shown.
Within the exhibit “Khari Turner: Lost at Sea,” Khari uses all natural materials: glass, ink, and water. Khari’s pieces are at once simple, but so complicated and unique in design. The viewer can sense the beauty and the frightful feeling of overwhelm, surrounded by waves. The human figures are sometimes hard to pick out from the images of water, so entangled are the people with their life source.
Khari also provides a list of African Adinkra symbols. The symbols were used in the clothing of the Gyaman people that once lived in modern-day Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. They all have special meanings, and Khari uses them to inspire his own symbols, which are used throughout the pieces of this exhibit. Of course, he includes this list of inspired symbols within the installation, and visitors who come to view his work have the space to make up their own symbols and attach a meaning to them: an invitation to connect the viewer to the ongoing saga of human history.
From Khari Turner’s exhibition in The New Gallery at Austin Peay State University. Photo by Meghan Gattignolo.
Beyond art, water is so important to Khari that he eventually plans to work on water health and environmental conservation. He always wants to give back to the communities he came from and bring art to low-income neighborhoods. Khari knows everyone who spends time with his art will understand what he hopes to achieve by sharing his work with the rest of the world, because “at the end of the day, everyone is connected to water.”
Until March 28th, enjoy the art of APSU alum Khari Turner in his exhibit “Khari Turner: Lost at Sea”, which can be found in The New Gallery on the lower level of the APSU Art + Design building.
Did you know that the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center’s Collection contains “Condemn the Rushing of a Flower,” a work by Khari Turner? Read more about Turner’s work in Second & Commerce magazine from Spring 2024 (Volume 3, Issue 2): https://issuu.com/customshousemuseum/docs/sc-vol3issue2-issuu
From Khari Turner’s exhibition in The New Gallery at Austin Peay State University. Photo by Meghan Gattignolo.
Meghan E. Gattignolo is a freelance writer and longtime Clarksville, TN resident. She loves to obsess about historical subjects and annoy her family daily with unsolicited random facts. Meghan holds a History B.A. from Austin Peay State University and lives in town with her husband and two children.