Elizabeth Leach Gallery is pleased to present the Jeremy Okai Davis exhibition Black Wood, which marks the gallery's first exhibition with the artist and presents new paintings featuring actors and models from Jet magazines in the 1950s - 60s. Davis' stylistic figuration employs a kind of pixelation/pointillist hybridization that references photography while highlighting painterly brushstrokes. His deep affection for painting is evidenced through imagery that uniquely synthesizes portraiture and expressionistic mark-making.
In this new work, Davis spotlights Black women in Hollywood that were not widely recognized for their talents during the time they were working in the entertainment industry. The series also continues his exploration of racial bias through the history of "Shirley cards," a system used to calibrate skin tones during film processing. Kodak's use of Shirley cards dictated the industry standard for skin-color balancing in photographs, effectively disregarding gradations of darker complexions.
Davis' subjects symbolize the perseverance of Black culture and the kind of indefinable grace that can be maintained through struggle. Various calibration color tools are included in the paintings alongside individual subjects. As they serve as reminders of the persistency of institutionalized racism, Davis simultaneously counters those histories with new visual propositions. The artist's inclusion of walnut inks, found wood elements and a lusciously layered color palette infuse the images with an ebullience and vibrancy, inviting us to see his subjects in a new light.
