God Mother, 2020 Digital Collage 36 x 24 in by Dave McClinton
A little over a year ago I interviewed artist Dave McClinton on my Austin Art Talk podcast. His work aims to tell stories, start hard conversations, and help visually define current and historical black identity and inner life. I admit I was nervous about having that conversation. Thankfully it went very well and is still one of my favorites. Dave generously answered all of my questions and I feel like I am a better person for having had that talk. More conversations like it are definitely needed.
Below is a quote from the interview, a player to listen to it, and the information and statement pertaining to his exhibition at Ivester Contemporary that I just photographed.
“The things that I think people don’t understand or misunderstand about me is that sometimes when I’m hanging out with friends or hanging out with piers, I can’t help but make a joke or a comment about race. Because it is literally always there. It’s just always there. It’s an odd thing to constantly have that in your face all of the time. It’s heavy. I think it’s why black men die sooner than everyone else. That psychological weight is always there. And sometimes I wish I could explain to my friends what that’s like. I wish there was a way to convey to people, and maybe that’s what I am trying to do with the art, what that constant pressure feels like, because it is literally constant”
Ivester contemporary - MAIN EXHIBITION SPACE
Absolute Relativism
New Work by Dave McClinton
December 5 - January 9
Reception to be held from 7pm - 10pm on December 5
Ivester Contemporary is proud to present Absolute Relativism, a solo exhibition by Austin based artist Dave McClinton. This exhibition represents a continuation of the artist’s Black Life series, an ongoing project which began in 2015 and aims to illustrate the inner life-cycle of Black people in America. McClinton’s single edition digital collages focus on the bodies and portraits of Black people embellished with textures of foundational elements, symbols related to trade and status, as well as text from historical documents derived directly from America’s long and lingering history of slavery and white supremacism.
McClinton’s work boldly initiates and engages with the realities of being Black in America. The artist encourages his viewers to acknowledge and empathize with the pain inflicted upon Black people over the course of the history of America and also to admire the power, pride, and righteousness shown despite. McClinton illustrates that no matter the realities cast upon their backgrounds and bodies; the figures depicted in his work are defiant, never ashamed.
