Cullen Washington Jr. Untitled #4, 2013; canvas, paper, tape, found materials; 7.5 x 7 ft. Courtesy of Boston University, College of Fine Arts.

Cullen Washington Jr.’s enigmatic large-scale paintings, constructions, and prints amply fill half of the cavernous space at 808 Gallery (the other half is given over to a group show comprising mixed-media works and performance). Washington Jr.’s paintings have to speak loudly to compete with such a frequently frenetic setting, and they hold up quite well.

If I allude to several previous artists in this review, it is not because I find Washington’s work derivative. Rather, I think he’s working in the established tradition of modernism/postmodernism, and that he’s as conscious of these influences as I am. Some of those called to mind are due to techniques of style and execution. Others because they, like Washington, confronted issues of race in America while trying to construct a self-identity revealed at least in part through their art-making processes.

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