Honor Titus x Antwaun Sargent

Antwuan Sargent: So the point of departure for this particular project is obviously Althea Gibson's historic debut in 1950, 75 years ago, at the precursor to the US Open. With that historical element, how did you approach this mission in relationship to what the US Open might mean to you?

Honor Titus: Well, first and foremost, it's quite the honor to be thought of in this context, to be approached with this opportunity. From Althea’s breaking of the color barrier to the success of Francis Tiafoe and Coco Gauff, it's a direct lineage to that moment in 1950. There’s a sense of fear and hope and grandeur and elevation inherent in this story. And those are attributes that I hope are inherent in my work. To be able to revel in Althea’s moment, to be able to revel in tennis, to be able to revel in the minutia and the paired-back esthetic of the 1950s is just super fun for me, and it's the grounds that I'm very comfortable in.

My aesthetic profile and the things that attract me tend to be subtle and nuanced and a more muted or jewel-toned color palate; colors that hearken to a different time. I’m Obsessed with The Great Gatsby, I’m obsessed with the Jazz Age, with Fitzgerald. In 1950, we’re coming off the back of that by two or three decades, but those moments are still resonant in tennis culture. Whether it be all whites at the tennis grounds or Althea’s sartorial choices. That sartorial life is very much a part of her because she's of that time. And even today, I find that clothing and that sense of style and those modalities really interesting and really fun. Also, she was a hell of a tennis player and a hell of a mind. She was very vivacious and very soft-spoken, but tough. And those are oftentimes the coolest people.

AS: With these works, the whole theme takes place on the court. But what I've always found fascinating is that, in a sport like tennis, where the performance element is as important as the sportsmanship, and as important as the athleticism. It's interesting that, in these particular works, you remove audience. And I was wondering about that gesture, when the audience plays such a big role in tennis.

HT: This is where the Hopper comes in. Because, as a tennis player and as an avid tennis fan, it is a—excuse my language—it's a fucking lonely sport. My works, aside from tennis, tend to deal with the idea of loneliness. There are also moments of jubilation and moments of longing and lust, but it's very internal. I think of Edward Hopper, I think of Nighthawks. I think of View from the Williamsburg Bridge. And I just try to capture a sense of isolation and struggle and hope and validation within the works.

There's so much emotion within tennis, and I try to capture that on a singular level. Tennis is also rife with sportsmanship and decorum; it matters a lot how you handle yourself in tennis. That might be changing to some effect, but I have a lot of respect for that old guard and that sense of tradition. I do think it is complex, and I do think that social status and race and all those things still play a role in that today. To engage with those things and interpret those things, I feel that I have more control, approaching it from an internal space, rather than a grand thing. I try not to make large generalizations or overtures with my work; I like to keep it personal.

Honor Titus is an American artist who lives and works in Los Angeles.

Antwuan Sargent is a writer, curator and director at Gagosian Gallery in New York.

Artwork: © Honor Titus; Photography: Casey Kelbaugh; Courtesy of the artist, The Armory Show, Gagosian and Queens Museum.