Toribo y Francia by Alexsi Morales, in conversation with The Time is Always Now: Artists Reframe the Black Figure

Alexsi Morales’s mural Toribo y Francia was part of The Philadelphia Museum of Art and Mural Arts collaboration to create a public art series featuring work by alumni of Mural Arts’ Fellowship for Black Artists. Alumni were prompted to explore the central themes (double consciousness, our aliveness, persistence of history) of the museum’s acclaimed exhibition, “The Time Is Always Now: Artists Reframe the Black Figure” on view November 9, 2024–February 9, 2025.

Born in NYC, Alexsi Morales is a self-taught multimedia artist based out of Philadelphia. Alexsi’s work is driven by their take on contemporary art, the beauty of life, the people around them, dealing with self-love in a constantly mediated space, and the multifaceted endeavor of connecting with each other. With graphite, pen, pastels, oils, acrylic paint and digital medium, Alexsi works on framing the images and faces they interact with and interpreting them in their own way. A blend of loose and gestural pencil work, sometimes combined with vibrant color, creates a dynamic mix of values. Playing between both abstraction and realism illustrates a freedom of choice and style that’s true to him. Representing the many faces of beauty is an intrinsic quality to his work: born and raised in New York City, showcasing the diversity and chaos of the world translates over into how he emulates fragmented figures and faces.

Location Note: Mural no longer on view at this location (temporary project).