On Tuesday, August 6, Louis Davis, a photo-based artist and socially conscious activist, will join us to talk about Activist Art, which he’s become well known for in South Florida and in his native Jamaica.

Louis states: "The first time I smelled tear gas, I was 13 years old, but little did I know that my life in social activism began long before that.

Growing up in Jamaica, I was heavily influenced by global news... the civil rights struggles, Soviet tanks rolling into Czechoslovakia, Cuba, the missile crisis, the Vietnam war. All these events led me to become involved.

When the visual arts made a calling on me, the medium of photography replaced writing and conversation as the premier output for my beliefs. Through visual expression I gave 'voice' to the silent outrage so many felt but were hesitant to express.

Most of my images are slightly surrealistic but rooted in realism. Some elements, incongruously placed, might challenge the viewer's perception. At the same time, I have no problems with using beauty. As much as I want my art to be soul-searching, emotional, sometimes even disturbing, I also want it to be beautiful. "

Louis has been making visual images since 1975 when he started working in film and television, and photographic images since 1982. Many of his images explore the social and political themes of nationalism, environment and religion.

Louis holds a post-graduate diploma in mass communications from the University of West Indies, and a diploma in graphic design from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. He has won awards in national competitions in Jamaica, a South Florida Cultural Consortium Fellowship in 2007, and prizes in juried art exhibitions in Broward. He has exhibited his work in both Jamaica and Florida, and is in collections in Canada, Europe, China, Japan, the United States and the Caribbean.