The Metro: Andre Barker paints Black life as resistance in ‘Rest Is’ exhibit

January 20, 2026

Andre Barker’s exhibition entitled “Rest Is” is on display at M Contemporary Art gallery in Ferndale now through February 14.

Barker - Rest Is

Pieces from Andre Barker's exhibition "Rest Is" on display at M Contemporary Arts gallery in Ferndale.

Artist Andre Barker is a Detroit born and bred painter. Since graduating from Wayne State University and Columbia College Chicago, he spends his time schooling the next generation of artists as a professor.

In Barker’s latest exhibition, he responds to the social and political pressures that make daily life difficult for Black Americans. He illustrates simple acts like existing and rest as mechanisms to find peace and power amid those struggles through his portraits of Black life in Detroit.

Barker’s exhibition entitled “Rest Is” is currently on display at M Contemporary Art gallery in Ferndale through Feb. 14.

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  • Cary Junior II
    Cary Junior II is an audio journalist and producer for The Metro on 101.9 WDET. Cary has worked as a producer or host on a number of projects. His work includes short and longform audio, documentary series and daily radio. In his five year career in journalism he has worked for Crooked Media, the Detroit Free Press, and now WDET - Detroit's NPR station.

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