Philadelphia-based artist Devan Shimoyama results in dreamlike and shimmering canvases that includes Black, queer figures in moments of both of those vulnerability and empowerment. He combines formal portraiture, motivated by Aged Masters this sort of as Caravaggio and Goya, with an imaginative use of products that consists of jewellery, sequins, flashe, fabric, and traditional paint and coloured pencil. His artworks present a fascinating and enchanting view of Blackness, queerness, and masculinity. Shimoyama obtained his MFA from Yale and has exhibited his operate in key metropolitan areas throughout the globe, together with Los Angeles, New York, London, and Paris. His initially solo institutional exhibition was presented at the Andy Warhol Museum in 2018.
Shimoyama’s canvases give a lively and ostentatious representation of race, gender, sexuality, and class. With their breathtaking surfaces, his paintings maintain the viewer’s gaze with their mesmerizing magnificence. By fusing unique components and models, Shimoyama explores themes of identity and society. His unconventional but intriguing solution to portraiture has earned him recognition as a notable figure in contemporary art. Shimoyama’s artworks are an exploration of the relationship amongst sort and content material, inviting viewers to mirror on the complexities of every day lifetime.
