Photo provided by MGM Resorts

Rashid Johnson, 2011 

Second Floor Promenade

Adjacent to Carbone

From the combination of melted black soap and wax, Brooklyn based artist Rashid Johnson has created a series of work, Cosmic Slop, to inspire conversation on race and class through the use of utilitarian products that people use in their everyday life.

The title of the series of work, "Cosmic Slop", was inspired by the 1973 Funkadelic Album of the same name. Although at first a commercial failure, the album has been critically acclaimed as a "cornerstone" long after it's original release. This was the first Funkadelic album with artwork and liner notes by Pedro Bell, who created the band's signature album covers and liner notes until the band's collapse in 1981.

Born in 1977 in Illinois, Rashid Johnson was raised in the Chicagoland area. He earned his BFA degree from Columbia College Chicago, and his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He earned a reputation for his unique photo-printing process and political content.

From his early exhibitions, he has not been afraid to use stereotypical cultural items as subject matter or material for his artwork. Additionally, throughout the late 2010's, his work addressed the idea of mental health. His artwork has been displayed at many musuems and galleries within the US and internationally.

Johnson's work has also expanded into film making, when he made his directorial debut with the 2019 Sundance Film Festival release "Native Son," which was acquired by HBO Films hours before it's premiere. For this work, he recieved the "Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture (Television)" prize at the 51st NAACP Image Awards.