About The Artist
Oasa DuVerney (b. 1979 Queens, NY) is known for her figurative works utilizing graphite on paper. DuVerney’s work centers itself in social and political commentary that relates to her social status as a woman of color and a working-class person. She reimagines elements from both the natural and urban, political and social landscapes as active sites in building solidarity for Black liberation; In a world where some people and places have been deemed not worthy of protection, the figures in her works are rendered with the care, compassion and understanding that they deserve but aren’t always afforded. She draws on elements from nature: waves, snakes and mountains to explore the ways in which people of color exist in contemporary society. Oasa was recently awarded a New York City Percent for Art commission to create a series of reflective portraits of influential authors from the African diaspora for the Brooklyn Public Library Eastern Parkway branch. Etched into shatterproof glass mirrors, the works will provide viewers the opportunity to reflect on themselves and the authors being represented. By focusing on the African Diaspora, the artist pays homage to the diversity of cultures and peoples of African descent currently living in Crown Heights, their journey and making this community home.
Oasa received a B.F.A. from SUNY, Fashion Institute of Technology and an M.F.A. from CUNY, Hunter College. Oasa is an Assistant Professor for the School of Art and School of Design at Pratt Institute. She has exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum; Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum; the Brooklyn Museum; and the Studio Museum in Harlem, to name a few. DuVerney has completed residencies at BRIC, Rush Arts, and Smack Mellon, among others. Her work is in the collection of the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum and The Metropolitan Museum Of Art.
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Photo of Oasa DuVerney
