“Audacity in Motion” at Ella West Gallery: A Bold Exploration of Identity, Resilience & Healing
DURHAM, NC – Ella West Gallery announces its powerful spring exhibition, Audacity in Motion, running from April 26 through July 19, 2025. Featuring nearly two dozen works from Lamar Whidbee, Justin Ellis, Joel Mamboka, and Steven M. Cozart, the exhibition offers a joyful resistance to limitation and a bold visual march toward inclusion, healing, and liberation.
Through portraiture, collage, vibrant color, and layered symbolism, these four acclaimed artists reimagine personal and collective narratives—claiming space, celebrating complexity, and igniting meaningful dialogue.
About the Exhibition: Art in Motion, Message in Every Medium
Audacity in Motion continues the thematic arc of the gallery’s impactful 2024 show, Freedom: Forward March, and affirms Ella West’s commitment to showcasing art as a tool for cultural redefinition and emotional revival.
“This exhibition is about audacious momentum—where determination meets joy,” said gallery founder Linda Shropshire. “We are not shrinking. We are moving forward. This is precisely the time when artists go to work.”
The show coincides with Ella West Gallery’s growing national presence through its recent participation in major fairs, including the Harlem Fine Arts Show, Atlanta Art Fair, and the Hamptons Fine Arts Fair.
Meet the Artists Behind Audacity in Motion
Lamar Whidbee
Durham-raised and Raleigh-based, Whidbee’s work is deeply influenced by his training as a mental health counselor. With a background from NCCU, UNC-Chapel Hill, and NC State, his interdisciplinary works layer oil, acrylic, charcoal, and graphite to express the spectrum of human experience.
- His public work Get Well Soon, debuted at Dix Park, pays tribute to mental health awareness
- 2025 Dreamville Fest muralist for J. Cole’s festival in Raleigh
Justin Ellis
A Charlotte native now based in New York, Ellis fuses graffiti, collage, and color to create deeply emotional, history-rich mixed media.
- Past exhibitions include the Mint Museum, McColl Center, and Art Basel Miami
- His work honors history while embracing freedom of imagination and identity
Joel Mamboka
Hailing from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and now based in Cape Town, Mamboka’s fabric-infused portraits celebrate Black fashion, memory, and cultural resistance.
- First exhibited at Zeitz MOCAA Museum in Cape Town
- Influenced by La SAPE, his art elevates everyday people through vibrant texture and storytelling
Steven M. Cozart
Based in Greensboro, Cozart’s work dives deep into colorism, hair politics, and identity within the Black community.
- His mixed-media series The Pass/Fail Project is a visual reckoning and healing invitation
- Exhibited at the Nasher Museum, SECCA, and Weatherspoon Art Museum
Opening Reception – April 26, 2025
The public is invited to the Audacity in Motion Opening Reception at Ella West Gallery, featuring:
- Themed wine pairings curated by sommelier Kayla Mensah, “The Wine Griot”
- A Late Night Artist Chat
- Live music, a curated grazing feast, and community connection
Tickets available now at www.ellawestgallery.com
Visit Ella West Gallery
Exhibition Dates: April 26 – July 19, 2025
Location: 104 W. Parrish Street, Durham, NC
Hours: Thursday – Saturday, 12 PM – 5 PM (Private appointments available)
For inquiries or to purchase works, visit www.ellawestgallery.com or call (919) 485-9602
About Ella West Gallery & Founder Linda Shropshire
Founded in August 2023, Ella West Gallery sits in the heart of Durham’s historic Black Wall Street and centers artists who are often excluded from traditional art narratives—women, Black, Brown, and LGBTQ+ artists.
Founder Linda Shropshire, a former executive in corporate social responsibility and human rights, brings her expertise to the arts with passion and purpose. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the North Carolina Museum of Art and is a member of the Black Trustee Alliance for Art Museums.
Photos courtesy of Ella West Gallery