Devan Shimoyama show, talks coming to Warhol Museum
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Andy Warhol Museum has announced an ambitious schedule of public programs to complement the exhibition “Devan Shimoyama: Cry, Baby.”
“The artist creates, through figurative painting and self-portraiture, vulnerable yet resilient depictions of African-American boyhood and masculinity,” according to the release.
This is the first solo exhibition given the artist by a museum. Curated by Warhol curator Jessica Beck, it includes painting, photography and sculpture, with new works debuting publicly here. The exhibition opens Oct. 13 and will continue through March 17.
Mr. Shimoyama is a rising star in the art world and was selected as one of the The New York Times’ 19 Artists to Watch in 2017 by critic Holland Cotter.
Born in Philadelphia in 1989, he earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree from Yale University School of Art. He is assistant professor of art at Carnegie Mellon University.
A distinguished group of presenters was chosen to elaborate on themes of race, sexuality and identity reflected in his work. Events include:
Oct. 25: “The Black Ecstatic: An Evening of Poetry & Film” at Frick Fine Arts Building, Room 125, University of Pittsburgh, Oakland, co-presented with Pitt’s Center for African American Poetry & Poetics. Contemporary black poets Airea D. Matthews, Roger Reeves and Safiya Sinclair and filmmaker Jamal T. Lewis will appear with moderator Rickey Laurentiis, the inaugural Fellow in Creative Writing at the center.
Oct. 26: “Shop Talk: Kleaver Cruz and Devan Shimoyama Discuss Black Joy, Masculinity and Barbershops” at The Warhol Museum, North Side. Mr. Cruz, a native New Yorker, is a writer and creator of The Black Joy Project. He has presented work across the African diaspora in South Africa, France and Brazil. In October, he will explore black spaces in Pittsburgh, take portraits and conduct conversations. He will speak with Mr. Shimoyama and community members about navigating black