Titus Kaphar’s ‘Exhibiting Foregiveness’ Is a Homecoming

For Titus Kaphar, painting is a language. In his upcoming exhibition at Gagosian, the artist reflects on his past to forge a path to forgiveness, taking the shape of a series of portraits and large-scale neighborhood scenes. Alongside the debut of his first narrative feature, the show advances Kaphar’s compositional approaches toward a home of family, memory, and community.

Exhibiting Forgiveness captures life in working-class America. Kaphar channels grief and nostalgia at once, in a display of sunset-lit houses and figures excised by knife-cuts. In pieces like “For your prayer closet”, the artist conjures bittersweet beauty; layering gold leaf and tar, the piece makes space for both “divine transcendence” and feeling trapped.

Other paintings call on Kaphar’s previous work with familiar techniques and color palettes. “They spring from the same personal, emotional, and psychological well,” the artist explains.

The title for each piece takes after a line the Exhibiting Forgiveness (2023) screenplay, bringing the presence of art in everyday life into focus. A direct descendant of his 2015 series, The Jerome Project, the film stars André Holland and John Earl Jelks as a father and son, trying to make sense of their estranged past. In addition to the Gagosian show, this collection of paintings will make appearances throughout the film.

The Exhibiting Forgiveness exhibition will be on view from September 13 until November 2, 2024 at Gagosian Beverly Hills. Kaphar’s debut feature film is set to release on October 18, 2024 in theaters nationwide.

Gagosian Beverly Hills
456 N Camden Dr,
Beverly Hills, CA 90210