About The Artist

Emmanuel Massillon (b. 1998, Washington D.C.) is a conceptual artist whose multidisciplinary practice spans painting, performance, sound, and sculpture. His work critically examines race, identity, and culture, particularly as they relate to people of African descent. Growing up in Washington D.C.’s inner city, Massillon’s experiences shape his artistic lens, challenging conventional narratives and offering fresh perspectives on everyday life and politically charged subjects. His work serves as both a critique and a celebration—interrogating power structures while amplifying the resilience, ingenuity, and creativity found within marginalized communities.

Rejecting traditional bourgeois aesthetics, Massillon embraces an experimental and process-driven approach, favoring raw, tactile materials that evoke history and lived experience. His use of found objects, hand-carved wood drawn from his Haitian heritage, and unconventional materials such as food products and cultural memorabilia reflects a commitment to storytelling through materiality. Massillon’s work is deeply influenced by African-American music genres like Jazz, R&B, and Rap, which he considers essential archives of Black culture. His distinct visual language incorporates elements of street vernacular, visual puns, and references to folk art, creating a dialogue between history, memory, and contemporary Black identity.

His sculptures, assemblages, and paintings function as layered narratives, weaving together the past and present. The gestural, rhythmic quality of his work mirrors the improvisational nature of Black musical traditions, while his installations and performances blur the boundaries between disciplines, creating immersive experiences that challenge dominant cultural paradigms. Massillon’s art is a form of resistance and reclamation, offering a space for reflection, mourning, and celebration.

Massillon has exhibited internationally, with museum exhibitions in France, Italy, and China. His work is held in the permanent collections of the Baltimore Museum of Art, C21 Museum, and The Flint Institute of Arts. Through his evolving practice, he continues to push the boundaries of conceptual art, bridging personal and collective histories while redefining how Black culture is represented and preserved in contemporary art spaces.