“It’s fitting in here,” Malcolm Washington said, nodding toward the Christmas tree in the room.
The centerpiece — grand and towering — made for a topic of conversation at Chateau Marmont on Wednesday night in Los Angeles, bringing a festive and inviting mood to the popular lobby bar with its holiday decorations, twinkling lights and the surrounding piano tunes.
Washington is the 33-year-old son of celebrated actor Denzel Washington and has made his own mark recently with his directorial debut, “The Piano Lesson,” a drama and adaptation of the 1987 play by August Wilson. The film, available now on Netflix, stars Samuel L. Jackson, Erykah Badu, Danielle Deadwyler, Ray Fisher, Corey Hawkins and John David Washington — Malcolm’s older brother.
Cultured magazine, the art publication launched in 2011 by editor in chief Sarah Harrelson, highlighted Washington as part of its inaugural “Artists on Artists” issue, alongside Nigerian visual artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby. The two first met in her L.A. studio.
“I was just fanning out,” Washington said of the moment. “I’m such a fan of her work, and she was so generous with her spirit and her space and her process.”
Cultured and Netflix hosted a dinner at the hotel to toast the occasion, with Washington and Crosby as guests of honor. The night brought out John, their mother Pauletta, as well as actors LaKeith Stanfield, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Lionel Boyce and Rachel Sennott; director A.V. Rockwell; artists Alex Prager and Ash Roberts; Oscar-winning costumed designer Ruth E. Carter; interior designer Brigette Romanek, and writer Nkechi Okoro Carroll, among others.
“You have a beautiful spirit,” Crosby told Washington during a short speech. “I’m sure people have told you that before. The moment you walked into my studio, your positivity was oozing out of you.”
Washington said he feels a connection with her work, rooted in the duality of two cultures — her adopted home in America, living and working in L.A., and native Nigeria. The artist, combining painted depictions of people and places, works with photographic transfers from personal archives, Nigerian magazines and other media sources.
“There’s a political consciousness that’s present in her work, but it’s folded into this much larger thing about culture itself, and the people and poses and circumstances that she’s depicting in her work is this wonderful exploration of Black life, which I think is really wonderful,” he told WWD. “My work also deals with the culture. Obviously, it deals with time and space as well.”
“The Piano Lesson” tells the story of the Charles family, their journey and the destiny of a cherished piano, while exploring the underlying themes of life.
“It’s riddled with so much meaning,” Washington said of Crosby’s work.
The same can be said of his own.
