Walking past long-term exhibits in the International Museum of Surgical Science into a top-floor space, one is greeted with a shirtless man, captured with his arms hugging his torso, showcasing his musculature in detailed splendor — a dancer with eyes closed, face lifted, as if only he can hear music that enraptures his limbs. His head is thrown back, centered in a circle similar to a halo. As if captured in mid-move, the canvas is captivating, resplendent in hues of indigo and shimmer created with 14K gold. This is “The Grace of His Self Embrace,” a work of artist and Lakeview resident D. Lammie-Hanson.
The piece is one of several in her “Gilded Agility” exhibit, a series of images created with metalpoint, a drawing technique that uses gold, silver, copper and brass as a stylus to produce very fine lines. According to Lammie-Hanson, metalpoint is a medieval technique used by artists such as Marjorie Williams-Smith and Leonardo Da Vinci, both of whom inspired her. Lammie-Hanson mixes her paint from scratch, constructs the frames, and by using different gauges of 14K gold, imbues her dance subjects with an ethereal shine.
Museum visitors view the beauty and flex of the human body. While “Grace” shows the upper half of a dancer’s body, “The Veins of the Dance,” a work on wood, showcases his lower half and the intricate delineation of his muscles and veins. Ballet dancer Misty Copeland’s legs are also paid homage in “Pointe & Grace” and “Pointe Stance.” Strength, surrender, agility — all are present.
“I wanted to make a representation of our people in a way that they’re being celebrated,” Lammie-Hanson said. Wanting to show the world the shine and beauty of Blackness, Lammie-Hanson mixes her paint to get the color indigo she wants, for use as the basis of Black skin. “I want people to see something that’s representative of themselves; that’s the most important thing. We are all brilliant. … This is my way of celebrating Black people.”
By holding up the camera on your phone to the images, the dancers’ bodies glimmer, and QR codes are available for visitors to scan to hear poetry and music (Neo-Soul, jazz) that Lammie-Hanson curated to coincide with the Indigo series. Literature about the exhibition says the show “underscores the connection between the study of anatomy in medical science and its representation in fine art, celebrating the shared goal of deepening our understanding of the human form.”
“Each piece has its own soul,” the self-taught artist said. “I thought if I created a whole other experience with music, words — it will take visitors on a journey with each piece.”
Lammie-Hanson smiles when remembering learning about metalpoint in Barcelona in 2017. In the creation of her art, she said she has accidentally poisoned herself with Indigo paint (painting and inadvertently touching her lips) and how the pointy nature of the tools means she often stabs the fleshy part of her palm given her grip (she carries the tools of her trade in a tin that looks like it holds lozenges). She has no qualms when visitors walk through, interrupting her flow of conversation, to describe how light impacts her work. After she instructs them how to use their cameras in every nook and cranny to bring the artwork to life, it’s the numerous “ohhs” and “cools” from the people that spark more smiles from Lammie-Hanson.
“I have to tell you she’s gonna see something different than you because you’re around the same height, but you’re going to see something slightly different because the light is coming in at different ways,” she said.
In taking control of the Black body narrative in her own way, Lammie-Hanson hopes people see what she sees: “how magnificent we are, what we look like.”
Just as Lammie-Hanson sits in awe of the commitment a dancer has in honing their body as their instrument of art, she is already planning her next artistic endeavor, a piece called “The Cathedral of Alvin.” The work will feature Alvin Ailey in the middle with dancers showing all their majesty around him.
“I want people to see a representation of themselves done by a Black woman. When you do it big, it’s a celebration, celebrating us. We will always see and understand and know what we’re looking at. Don’t act as though you hold a market on that. You don’t.”
“Gilded Agility” runs through Sept. 22 at the International Museum of Surgical Science, 1524 N. Lake Shore Drive; more information at imss.org
