October 1 – 31, 2020

Elizabeth Leach Gallery is pleased to present Black Wood, by Jeremy Okai Davis that highlights his new series of figurative paintings. The exhibition will be on view October 1 - 31, 2020, with special online artist conversation scheduled during the exhibition.

Jeremy Okai Davis's Black Wood 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's 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's 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.

Jeremy Okai Davis (b. Charlotte, NC) received a BFA in painting from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, NC. Davis relocated to Portland, OR in 2007 where he has continued his studio practice in addition to working as a graphic designer and illustrator. His work has been shown nationally at the Studio Museum of Harlem (New York, NY), THIS Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA), Wa Na Wari (Seattle, WA) and The Rotating Art Program at Portland International Airport (Portland, OR). Davis's work resides in the Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center at Oregon State University and the University of Oregon's permanent collection. Elizabeth Leach Gallery began representing Davis's work in 2019.