iBOMS unveils his latest exhibit and character “Xebra” this month at D-Gallerie.
A lot of the themes discussed in these pieces are the struggle with duality. “The Xebra character is based on existence as an emerging artist in a world and city in the midst of a reboot”. The character often asks itself “Am I black with white stripes, or white with black stripes”. This piece “Xebra” is the centerpiece of the entire collection. We see the Xebra character on full display bones and all, exposing himself to the world.
Despite Xebra doing bad sometimes, hinted at in the “Your Cane, when not Able” line, the guardian Angel is always watching over Xebra, and ready to protect.
I dig the less polished approach on this piece. We are so used to this grandiose pieces from Jabari that it’s nice to see some pencil work now and then. I gotta pocket full of stones!!!
The first of the two murals featured in the show. “Global Blooming” shows the Xebra character pulling out his heart, squeezing it to create a fire. Xebra’s head is portrayed like the earths core, with molten lava ready to spurt out.
A nod to the K.Dot song, this piece being done with chalk on a chalk board gives it that child like wonderment Jabari usually fills with his pieces.
In this piece the character appears to be surrounded by darkness. Once he does his performance blooms shoot out surrounding, the character with their light, with arms wide open.
I really dig the nod to the “Coat Of Thieves” masterwork piece Jabari dropped at his last show. The dancers and the fire give off mad Leo vibes to me.
This piece really hit for me. The Pexiglass added a lot to the rain drip effect. A viewer behind me didn’t really understand what was going on in the piece but it was nice to hear her friend explain it to her. It’s dope to see that the Xebra characters can be male or female, expanding the world of iBOMS.
This whole wall had nothing but statement pieces on it. The vast amount of colors was unreal. This purple piece harkens back to that child like nature I described before. The purple figure comes off spirit like. Similar to the Xebra characters she is also missing a heart. Once you take someone’s heart it might be time to release them back, just like a captured butterfly.
Not all tears are bad especially when they come from God. The twin zebras in the center are a nice touch. If you look closely you can see iBOMS trademark bee in different plots throughout the peace.
Seeing this piece online doesn’t do it justice. From the Dracos to the sparkling golds there are hella iBOMS trademarks in this piece. I like the color combo of the blue hair and the orange boxers behind.
It’s crazy how much darkness is on this canvas. The flaming character is the only source of light on the entire piece. Evil stands no match to the shamen.
This one in person is next level man. The exit signs make their return, as the character is making its departure. It’s almost like the figure has just came out of a glacier with a new person and view on the world. Now he’s gotta keep it tunnel vision.
The coat of thieves makes it’s return once again, this time covering most of the canvas. Hella blooms and exit signs fill up the circle, which is a dope canvas rather than the usual rectangular or square.
This is one of my favorite pieces that dives deeper into the Xebra characters. A rush of blooms connect both figures hearts which have been taken, thus forming a new heart. Despite the dark and almost blood like red that fills up the piece, there is a lot of hope when I see this.
Look to the Blood Moon to solve your questions. I dig the elder character iBOMS focuses on in this piece, his expansion of the universe is always a vibe. It’s possible the blood moon can tell us who we really are.
When one goes searching for answers they must summon the Blood Moon by doing a certain dance. It can only be done under the depths of the ocean. Not sure but this might be the first time Jabari added fish to a piece.
The Coat Of Thieves is my favorite every-time it’s makes an appearance. It’s dope that Jabari is expanding the lore of why the coat exists. Justice will be served.
The second mural on display might be my favorite. It’s dope how Xebra is sitting on the bloom, containing the fire that is in front of him. The fire tells all so we look closer but be careful not to get burned.
This one should be a favorite to any of the day one supporters. Most if not all of Jabari’s characters all pull up in this multiverse esque “Where’s Ashi” style piece. The rough draft feel makes it standout from his more grandiose pieces, allowing each character to get their shine.
The turn out for this show was crazy. Jabari always ups his game with each show no matter how big the stakes are. Who else is using app tech with their pieces right now in the area. Like I said do yourself a favor and see these pieces in person, IG doesn’t do them right.