Kevin Cole continues to use art to express the African American experience. The artist-educator was recently chosen by Bombay Sapphire to participate in the Artisan series. Cole recently spoke with rolling out magazine about Bombay’s series and the future of art. –amir shaw
How did you get involve with the Bombay Sapphire Artisan series?
Bombay Sapphire put in a call for artists. I was working on a series called Jacob’s Latter. It was paying homage to my professor who passed away. He moved back to Cincinnati. I wanted to get back a response for the piece I was doing and their judges enjoyed the work.
What was it like being a Bombay finalist?
Bombay took the finalists to Miami to the Miami Art Basel which is one of the biggest art shows in the world. They flew all of the artists down and it was first-class service. They will publish a coffee table book with the work of all of the winners. The event allowed me to network with people from Germany who were interested in my work. I got the exposure and it allowed me to show my work on an international level.
What is the future of art?
The future of art is digital. If you’re smart, you wold put your investment in art. Everything is designed by an artist. I would integrate arts and technology. But when you look at the art world, it’s very vibrant. Even with the economy being down, people are still buying art. I sold more art last year than I had in a while. You have to get exposure and reinvent yourself.
