PRESS RELEASE
(BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – August 27, 2018) Welancora Gallery is pleased to present In the Future When..., works by Damien Davis, Delano Dunn and Tiffany Smith from September 22 through November 18, 2018. A reception for the artists will be held on Saturday, September 22 from 6 to 9 pm.
Organized by Daricia Mia DeMarr, the exhibition explores three distinctive views of the future presented in stark contrast to what might be expected given America’s past and its present. Within this framework, the assemblages and installation on view examine notions of identity, representation and the intricacies of the African American experience.
Damien Davis’ assemblages of plexiglass and mirrors blend references from Afrofutrism 2.0, and nine episodes from Star Trek Deep Space 9, which were starred in and directed by Avery Brooks, the first black captain in the Star Trek franchise, to explore notions of social science, metaphysics and cultural analytics as a means of promoting the contributions of black men.
Davis is based in Brooklyn, New York. He received a BA in Studio Art and a MFA in Visual Arts Administration from New York University. Davis is completing a residency at the Pitchuck Glass School in Stanwood, WA. Earlier this year he led a session at the Whitney Museum of American Art’s Study Sessions program.
Through a combination of archival images, cellophane, glitter, vinyl and gold leaf on paper and board, Delano Dunn’s work engages the past to create an unimaginable journey into the future for the black slave character, Jim, from Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. As stated by Daricia Mia DeMarr, “In opposition to Twain’s Jim, who is read as smart, but superstitious and passive, Dunn’s Jim, a time traveler, understands and wields quantum physics and the theory of relativity”. Within this narrative, the work explores the genesis of love, acceptance and the convergence point of science and the complexities of the African American experience.
Dunn received a BFA in Communication Design from Pratt Institute and a MFA Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts. He is the Artist-in-Residence at Project for Empty Space Gallery in Newark, New Jersey. Dunn is currently based in the New York City tri-state area.
Tiffany Smith’s installation is a commentary on representation as reflected in her self-portraits, flora patterned wallpaper, plants, and other accents used to outfit her tropical patio scene. Smith’s environment is a window into her layered persona in past, present and future as a woman of Caribbean ancestry and a multidisciplinary artist.
Smith received a BFA in Photography from S.C.A.D. and a MFA in Photography/Video from the School of Visual Arts. She is slated for a solo exhibition at Mosteratt College of Art in Boston, MA.
ABOUT THE CURATOR
Daricia Mia is from Los Angeles, California. She launched her collegiate career at Clark Atlanta University but received a BA in Art History from Georgia State University and a master’s degree in Visual Arts Administration from New York University. She is an arts enthusiast, ideas fanatic, curator and visual arts consultant. In 2015 she was invited to curate a special exhibition, ‘Respectfully Yours,’ at the Queens Museum, Bulova Center with renowned street artist Lady Pink. Daricia Mia was the assistant director at the NYU Kimmel Center Galleries organizing and curating over 100 exhibits in five years. She was also the assistant to renowned black art dealer, Peg Alston and gallery manager at Peg Alston Fine Arts in NYC. She is currently an independent curator and arts administrator at the world’s largest airport with the Hartsfield-Jackson Art Program.