Columbia City Paper

Can anybody paint music? See for yourself. Tariq’s solo exhibition at City Art strives to—and many will say succeeds at—bringing the rhythm and fluidity of jazz to the canvas. 
“My work dances with emotion across the canvas,” Tariq says. “I create with bold colors, strong design and composition and lively characters.”
Tariq earned his undergraduate degree from Howard University, where he says the strong African American studies program inspired his art.  Before arriving in Columbia his works were primarily set in a jazz club scene, his paintings focused on the musicians and their instruments. Recently, however, he changed his focus to the jazz audience.

Tariq’s strong lines, heavy brushstrokes and simplified, almost cubist
shapes, together with vivid, often unexpected colors all recreate the
sole of jazz music, namely improvisation.  Tariq improvises his colors
and shapes, in the same way jazz musicians improvise notes.
Improvisation in music is not about perfection or promptness; it is
about the musicians, their audience, harmony and the particular mood of
the night. Just as we do not see the same motifs or figures in Tariq’s
canvases, there is not an identical performance of the same
composition.  The musicians interactively reinterpret the music written
by the composer and often collaborate with each other or with their
audiences in order to bring the best version of the moment.
Tariq’s simplified figures, objects and background are all part of the
magic of improvisation.  Just as jazz is a very social type of music
demanding the interaction of all participants and listeners, Tariq
engages the viewer into his game of discovering and often
reinterpreting his works.  In “Dance With Me Love” for instance, the
dancing couple could be dancing slow or fast, having their very first
dance, or having been dancing together for a long time.  Is the female
figure pulling her partner closer to her body or pushing him away,
making sure he does not get too close?  In the background the viewer
can discover glasses and bottles, but cannot be sure that this couple
is in an apartment or in a jazz club.
On “The Golden Sax,” on the other hand, the musician is clearly in the
middle of a performance, however, the music is provided by the viewer’s
imagination and creativity. Recognizing the saxophone in the hands of
the musician only starts the unlimited possibilities for the jazz notes
he could be playing to entertain the viewers of the painting and the
audience in the jazz club.
Tariq Mix can be seen at City Art until February 28. For more
information about the exhibition and the artist go to
www.cityartonline.com.

Special thanks to Hofp Gallery for supporting these arts pages though the years.

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