Atlanta Artist Connects With Family, Race In First Solo Exhibition

Artist Gerald Lovell paints people of color using thick layers of oils. Their skin literally rises from the flat surfaces, calling attention to itself. The young artist’s work is on display in his first solo show, “Sylvia, Sylvia,” at the Gallery by Wish in Little Five Points. The exhibit runs through March 29.

The title work shows two women — Lovell’s grandmother and sister — lounging on a bed, propping themselves up on their elbows.

“They’re both named Sylvia,” he tells “City Lights” producer Myke Johns. “My family did this weird thing where we’d recycle a lot of first names. So my grandmother and my sister’s name is Sylvia. And me and my dad share the same full name: Gerald Lovell Kennedy, that’s my dad’s name.”