Hosted at the North Carolina Central University Art Museum, “Human Landscapes: the Mystery of the Mark” is a compact exhibit of over 50 paintings that greets visitors with intense colors and bold lines. 

At first glance, it seems as though each piece belongs to the same creative breath. Upon closer inspection, this cohesion begins to splinter. The paintings all contain minor, but unique marks that lend to the mystery of human emotion. 

The exhibit celebrates the work and homecoming of NCCU alumnus Dr. Eric A.W. Kelly III. A 1982 Visual Communications graduate and the university’s first art scholarship recipient, Kelly returns to campus with a solo show that spans seven decades of his life, from early realist paintings to his current “neo-abstract expressive” style.

“Here, I come with true excitement,” he said. “It’s amazing to know that a young guy who was looking for his identity in art kept on drawing and painting all his life, and now gets a chance to show it not only to the world, but to the students and to the university.”

Kelly said he hopes viewers feel a sense of culture, peace and identity – and that they’re able to see themselves in the pieces they encounter. The idea that guides him is simple: “What you’re looking for is looking for you.”

“I don’t want you to ask me what I was thinking when I drew the piece,” he said. “I want you to ask yourself, ‘What am I?’ ‘What am I thinking when I’m looking at these pieces?’”

When he’s painting, Kelly often listens to R&B and jazz or talks on the phone – practices that activate his synesthesia, a sensory experience that allows him to “see” colors when he hears noise. These colors inform the creative process of every piece.

Rooted in his synesthesia, “Human Landscapes” is about the topographies of memory and emotion found in human faces. 

Kelly didn’t always work abstractly. The exhibit opens with four realism pieces he created in high school and college, a section he describes as “the wall of the past.” One of them is his first painting, “Slipping Into,” which he completed shortly after his high school teachers told him he was not on track to graduate.

The piece he resonates with most, however, isn’t a painting at all, but a sculpture he made in college.

“Even though I have all these paintings, I would say that is the piece that I most resonate with,” he said. “Because this piece is looking up at the sky, at mystery, at wonderment, at what’s next, or how to do things.”

Kelly’s great-grandfather, Henry Stancil, started a museum for Kelly when he was seven years old. Stancil profoundly shaped his art and showed him what a museum truly is. 

“We look at museums through a European eye, and we don’t really think about a person like Ernie Barnes,” Kelly said. “Ernie Barnes was a great artist. His last piece was auctioned off for I think $12 million. He does not have a museum.”

This belief is driving Kelly’s current work: helping to create museums in nine countries: Nigeria, Senegal, Egypt, Kenya, the Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Madagascar. His goal is to ensure that artists across Africa have places where their journeys can be studied.

“That is my life project,” he said. “Because in America, I believe that all of the great artists should have a museum so that young people can go and study their journey.”

He’s also currently working on eight different canvases. He said he plans to create 51 more pieces for the “Love Connection” collection, another 20 pieces for his “Woman Architect” collection and will continue to create more “Human Landscapes,” which he claims is nowhere near finished. He considers this collection a living project, one that evolves as he continues to meet new people and have new conversations. 

Kelly said he has laid out 20 years of work that he’d like to do, including more sculpture, minimalist exploration and perhaps a fashion show. But for now, he’s sitting in a place of deep gratitude for his NCCU community.

“To see the looks on the faces of the students, to see the looks on the faces of my fans and my friends, has truly been amazing. But more importantly, the staff here has just been outstanding. I’ve done shows in a lot of places, but here at North Carolina Central University, it still feels like I’m at home.”