I AINT SCARED OF YOU MFKAZ I Taylor Walton

I AINT SCARED OF YOU MFKAZ : Taylor Walton

December 3rd – December 23rd | Opening Reception: December 3rd, 12-8 PM

Artist Statement

COOP Gallery is pleased to present I’M NOT AFRAID OF YOU MFKAS. Taylor Walton’s debut show in the Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood is a twofold experiment. The titular phrase— (a nod to the late, great Bernie Mac) is a personal mantra that Taylor Walton holds near, while the work serves as an expression of bombastic freedom. Much like the show’s namesake, the work is designed to elicit a visceral response.

An artist obsessed with documented history and connectivity, Walton looks to chronicle a world trapped between the tangible and intangible. As an artist bored of labels and status quo, Walton, if only for a moment, wants to feel free.

Inspired by the works of artists such as Emory Douglas, Alma Thomas, Bill Traylor, J Dilla, Madlib, Lee Perry, James Brown and many others— Walton’s usage of color, layering, improvisation, and illustration commands urgency. Each piece more thematically rich than the last.

Bio

Taylor Walton is no stranger to creativity. Hailing from small town Chattanooga, Tennessee, his penchant for creating is always on display. Often scribbling on whatever paper he can find, Walton is hardly ever sitting still.

Entering a post-COVID world, Walton relocated to Nashville. A growing city with a bustling art scene, he saw Nashville as the perfect landscape to build his foundation for a fruitful career. While working as a freelancer, Walton made various connections with galleries in the area; his first exhibition in Nashville would be as a featured artist in the EPHEMERA show held at NKA Gallery.

Walton is a Graduate of Middle Tennessee State University. He graduated with a BFA in Graphic Design.