Willie Little

Russo Lee Gallery is pleased to announce our representation of Willie Little. Widely recognized for his expansive visual practice that encompasses painting, printmaking, and sculpture, it is with great pleasure we present I Do Not Want What I Have Not Got, a solo exhibition by Willie Little.

Reflecting on the African diaspora, and the importance of embracing the strength and traditions of Black people, the exhibit includes a series of walking sticks inspired by African cultural traditions, which Little has created and modified over the past decade and a half. The exhibition will also feature a recently completed series of monotypes that incorporate Adinkra symbols which originated in the region of current day Ghana. Both the symbols utilized in the monotypes and the historical function of African walking sticks emphasize the cultural strengths of the Black community in the face of ongoing racism experienced by Blacks in America and elsewhere. The monotypes, produced with Mullowney Printing, reflect the artist’s desire to seek and embrace his roots through the use of icons of his origin.

Willie Little is a Black multimedia artist. He received his B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His solo exhibitions include the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University in Durham, NC, the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City, MO, and the Rosa Parks Museum in Montgomery, AL. Little is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2022 Oregon Community Foundation Creative Heights Grant, the 2021 Glean Portland Residency, the 2020 Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, Black Lives Matter Artist Grant, and the 2019 Regional Arts & Cultural Council Project Grant.

I Do Not Want What I Have Not Got

August 3 – September 2, 2023

Press Release