FREE FORM by John Alleyne

About the Exhibition: Freeform: not conforming to a regular/formal structure or shape. FREE-FORM, honors the non-conforming dreadlock hairstyle, and is a metaphor for Alleyne’s intuitive, experimental silkscreen process. Alleyne explores the dichotomy of life as immigrant and American citizen, concerning how we construct spaces of refuge, resistance, and self-definition. Drawing inspiration from Barbadian folklore, barbershop aesthetics, figurative abstraction, and ready-made materials, Alleyne constructs a world where his subjects are protected by “dreadlock formations.” These formations resist colonial histories, seasonal elements and social weather like microaggressions or systematic violence. The works in the exhibition reimagine ways Black identity can be shaped, expressed and liberated across time. Through this lens, dreadlocks are depicted as a survival strategy, futuristic armor, and a powerful statement of resilience and self-preservation.

About the artist: John Alleyne (b. 1990) is a lens-based printmaker, painter, and Barbados native based in New Orleans. Through an intuitive, experimental silkscreen process, Alleyne challenges notions of colonialism, social injustice, stereotypes, reclaims narratives, and celebrates the beauty of going against mainstream societal norms. He received his MFA from Louisiana State University, with a concentration in painting and drawing. Alleyne was an artist-in-residence at Oxbow, ACRE, and Anderson Ranch Arts Center. He has exhibited work throughout various galleries and museums in the U.S. and Barbados. His work was featured in various publications such as New American Paintings, Southern Cultures, and the Advocate. Alleyne is an Assistant Professor of Art at Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge. He is an artist member of Baton Rouge Gallery and a collective member at Antenna in New Orleans. Alleyne was a recipient of a 2023 Take Notice Fund Award and a 2025 Platforms Research Development Grant.