David Huffman | SFMOMA

David Huffman: The Social Abstractionist

Oakland-based abstract artist David Huffman takes us on a trip down memory lane, thoughtfully mapping out how basketball hoops, new wave science fiction, “Free Huey Newton” flags, progressive soul, and pyramids coalesce into the language of his work today. Huffman shares the meaning behind his piece, Double Jump — a stunning and thoughtful SFMOMA collection work which surfaces themes of activism, self-liberation, and Black identity, using basketball as a storytelling vessel.

Image and Archival Media Credits:

African American Museum and Library at Oakland, Oakland Public Library

Koreyoshi Akasaka, Attack from Space, 1959; public domain

David Huffman, 2022; Miles McEnery Gallery

Kenneth P. Green Sr.

Stephen Shames/Polaris

UFO, Ep. 6 “ESP”, 1969; ITC; public domain