Melanie Flood Projects is proud to present demos/desires a group exhibition featuring A. K. Jenkins, Alima Lee, B. Anele, Clifford Prince King, Christine Miller, D'Angelo Lovell Williams, Derrick Woods-Morrow, Demetri Burke, Devin N. Morris, Elliott Jerome Brown Jr, Jasmine Monsegue, Malcolm Marquez, Pierre Davis, Shikeith, sidony o’neal, curated by Clifford Prince King.
An artist reception takes place in person this Saturday August 14th 2021 from 5-8pm. demos/desires will be on view through September 11, 2021. An exhibition text by Emeka Ochiagha follows below.
There is an unsung bravery that arises at the very start, the tender labor of giving birth to a vision and making it tangible. Our sometimes narrow notions of completion strips the beauty of the idea’s seed. The zygote of genius - the initial sketch, the test shot, the first draft - that leads to a breakthrough, breakthroughs that lead to a cultural revelation. Claiming relevance now, these demos and seeds take center stage in this exhibition. What may seem antithetical for a gallery becomes a repudiation of institutional standards. The shadows of realized manifestations become grandeur, a testament that the real magic is localized in the process of creation.
Interlocking forces of white supremacy and capitalism can castrate the black artist. The art world creates perimeters too small, too hegemonic, to encompass the subversive black imagination. For the black artist to desire, to desire beyond the initial circumstance is akin to a curse breaking. To cultivate a life previously unheard of, unshackled by expectations, is like the conjuring of a new spell.
The demos/desires exhibit is a meditative pause from the rapid pace of art consumption, and the politics and aesthetics of commodification. It is an acclamation to the artist for their hardened pursuits; an acclamation to their secret offsprings, perfectly incomplete and in the dark no longer.
Gallery hours: by appointment and Thursday-Saturday 12-5pm
Masks are required indoors as per Multnomah County mandates.