Bright hues, fantastic imagery and social statements are the signatures of Gerald Branch, the artist featured at the HUB Gallery from now until Feb. 21.

The portrait of a giant watermelon displayed through a giant window on the first floor of the HUB-Robeson Center is most recognizable to students. The watermelon is a common symbol in many of Branch's mixed media works.

His work mixes paint, photo and other media to convey his vision of diversity.

"There is a diversity in the mixed-medium materials as there is diversity amongst African Americans," Branch said.

Branch used the contrasting symbols of slavery and freedom in his work to project the African American experience. Pieces such as "Never Ending Journey to Freedom" use a collage of images of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. mingled with a portrayal of desegregation and the resulting protests to illustrate the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

In other pieces, such as "Being Black in America is a Dangerous Thing" and "Reaganomics," Branch used the same collage method to portray modern racial and economic problems facing African Americans.

Many of the pieces, such as "Plantation Stories I," reflect the slave experience through symbolism reminiscent of Frida Kahlo, where fields of cotton are shown being fertilized by the body of a slave.

The most striking and emotional piece of the collection is titled "Gordon." Slashes of electric color scar the bare back of a slave turned away from view. This piece immediately reaches to the core of one's soul.

Branch boldly illustrates the culture and life of African Americans past and present with his innovative uses of an array of artistic mediums.

In his artist statement Branch said he hoped his reflections of African American culture could help others to appreciate their own uniqueness.

Gerald Branch will be at a reception held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. tomorrow in the HUB Gallery to meet students and discuss his work.

— Reviewed by Parveen Shamsi