The passing of Ellen Powell Tiberino and Joseph Tiberino has done nothing to shade their light or dim the memory of the wife and husband whose work brought fresh attention to highly personalized, magnificently physicalized African-American art forms, paintings, murals and mosaics. Their children – Latif, Raphael, Ellen and Gabriel – have long benefitted from their parents’ legacy while finding themselves and making themselves into noteworthy, individualistic artists in their own right. And while the pandemic has kept the Tiberino crew from showing its work in a family way for some time, Ultra Silk Gallery at 3808 Lancaster Avenue has gathered together the brothers and sisters of West Philadelphia with “Tiberino: The Legacy Continues” an exhibition of new work from mosaicist Ellen, comix-focused artist Raphael and muralist Gabe that begins Second Friday, September 9, with a screening of the “Tiberino: The Art of Life” documentary on September 25.
“The Tiberino family story, more than anything else, is a love story,” writes Ms. Kenya, the Communications Coordinator at the Ultra Silk Art Gallery. “The influence and nurturing of two extremely talented artists provided the lifestyle, atmosphere and backdrop for their talented offspring to blossom and flourish. Working in a variety of mediums, Raphael, Ellen and Gabriel are able to merge the old with the new. Through their eyes, we’re able to see the ongoing legacy of their families’ contribution to the art world. This younger generation is able to speak in a style that’s uniquely theirs but harkens back to the traditional style. And, the Legacy of Love continues…”
We’ll have tons more to say about the family reunion closer to its start. That said, while Ellen, Raph and Gabriel are always busy with one individual project or another… Gabe just spent time in dM last week in connection with Cherry Street Pier’s Tiny Room for Elephants exhibition.
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