Rashid Johnson: The Architect of Anxiety

Rashid Johnson (b. 1977, Chicago) uses materials that carry a heavy cultural “charge.” He often works with shea butter, black soap, tropical plants, and wax—materials that are associated with African “wellness” and domesticity. He creates massive “grids”—steel structures filled with these materials, along with books by Black authors (like James Baldwin) and vinyl records.

His Anxious Men series consists of “drawings” made by scratching frantic faces into a thick layer of black soap and wax. These works were a direct response to the global anxiety of the 21st century—from climate change to the rise of white supremacy. His work is about “the internal world” of the Black subject—not just their political struggle, but their mental health and their intellectual life.

The Impact: Johnson brought a new level of philosophical depth to the discussion of race in art. He uses materials to show how identity can be both a “healing balm” (shea butter) and a “grid” that traps the individual. He is a leading voice for a generation that sees the Diaspora as a site of both immense power and immense psychological pressure.