DAMIEN DAVIS: FOR DEMETRIUS 

DAMien davis: for demetrius
On view july 18, 2019 - september 15, 2019

Artist-in-Residence Damien Davis’ culminating exhibition is a hymn to siblings’ love and to the power of art to transform our perceptions and inner lives. This exhibition is the result of nine months working in the Museum’s studio and teaching workshops with the public and adjacent Sugar Hill Museum Preschool. Through recollection and an intimate lexicon of symbols and metaphors, Damien Davis: For Demetrius invites viewers to enter a space in which the artist’s personal experiences give shape to themes of endurance and hope. Employing a vibrant pallet of laser cut felt, wood and plastic Davis has engineered a loaded environment layered with playful points of entry to cherish our closest relationships, commonality, and cultural roots.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Damien Davis (b. 1984) is a New York-based artist, born in Crowley, Louisiana and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. His practice explores historical representations of blackness by seeking to unpack the visual language of various cultures and question how these societies code/decode representations of race through craft, design and digital modes of production. His work has appeared at The Whitney Museum and Museum of Modern Art, as well as METHOD Gallery in Seattle, and Biagiotti Progetto Arte in Italy. He is the recipient of the Rema Hort Mann Foundation Community Engagement Grant and has been awarded residencies with the Museum of Arts and Design, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and Pilchuck Glass School. Mr. Davis is also a former fellow and current advisor for the Art & Law Program. His work has been mentioned in the New York Times, Frieze Magazine, The Guardian, Hyperallergic and Vulture. Mr. Davis holds a BFA in Studio Art and an MA in Visual Arts Administration from New York University.