Devan Shimoyama

This catalogue features full-color illustrations of works and exhibitions by the artist, including Cry, Baby at the Andy Warhol Museum, Mighty Mighty (The Barbershop Project presented by CulturalDC) at THEARC, Washington, DC, and We Called Her Gladys at Kavi Gupta, with an essay by Phillip Barcio. 

Devan Shimoyama (b. 1989, USA) makes celebratory, symbolic images depicting Black, queer, male bodies. His work is founded in portraiture, and his compositions are inspired by classical painters of the past, such as Francisco Goya and Caravaggio. His material choices, such as fur, feathers, glitter, rhinestones, and sequins, are intended to create the perception that his subjects are both “desirable and desirous.” Shimoyama is aware of the ways the politics of queer culture relate to those of Black American culture. He endeavors to confront this cultural arena in ways that are magical, joyful, and yet honest about suffering.

Published by Kavi Gupta, 2019, softcover, 100 pages, 7 x 5 inches.