Jun 19, 2025 – Jul 18, 2025
Artist Bio
As the son of a United States military personnel, Marcel Taylor was born in Landstuhl, Germany. A native of Houston, Texas, Marcel received a fine arts scholarship from Howard University in Washington, D.C, in 1988, and graduated with a BFA in 1992. Marcel also received his MFA from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA, in 2017. After receiving his BFA, the work of Marcel Taylor has been exhibited in many occasions within the Washington DC metropolitan area, Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York City. In 2005, “Unveiled, Photography by Will Downing & Fine Art By New and Emerging African American Artists,” a book published by BroNel Enterprises Inc. and WD Productions Inc, was the first book to feature Marcel’s work.
After graduating from grad school in 2017, Marcel’s work shifted from paintings depicting idealistic urban landscapes to socially-critical abstract work. This change was was inspired by rampant gentrification processes occurring in Washington DC, and other cities across the nation. Since embarking on his new series of works, Marcel has received many awards. The DC Commission of the Arts and Humanities in DC has awarded him 4 Washingtonian Grants and 4 Individual Fellowship Grant Awards. In 2018, Marcel won a public grant in which he erected a public mural in Washington DC, and conducted a painting seminar for the public. In 2018, the work of Marcel was also featured in the art magazine Studio Visit, Volume Forty-One, published by The Open Studios Press.
Artist Statement
Many urban neighborhoods are experiencing a period of instability and transition. As in my neighborhood, a variety of socio-political issues can wreak havoc on vulnerable people. For instance, many marginalized communities across the nation witness redevelopment programs or unchecked gentrification. Urban renewal is paradoxical because as it revives neglected neighborhoods, it encourages gentrifiers to confiscate occupied communities and displace entrenched inhabitants. All too often gentrification is accelerated by unfair and systematically racist housing policies.
As my work seeks to capture the instability of urban centers enduring urban renewal processes, recent inspiration has extended into other social issues exacerbated by systematic racism. As the Corona Virus exposed entrenched housing disparities within Black and Brown communities, a disproportionately high number of fatalities were reported within many US cities.
