Karon Davis : MUDDY WATER
Wilding Cran Gallery is pleased to present Muddy Water, a solo exhibition of new sculptures by Karon Davis.
This show takes it’s name from Bessie Smith’s 1927 recording of Muddy Water, a song about the Great Mississippi Flood. The body of work reflects on the effects of climate change, and subsequent migration and displacement, offering a glimpse into the experiences people encounter during natural disasters.
Davis continues to work with full scale plaster-cast figures. Intentionally their armatures remain visible, juxtaposing the inner strength of the sculptures against their fragile exteriors; she likens the process to ‘reassembling broken souls'. Some of the figures are inspired by images Davis discovered while reading news coverage of the recent events in Montecito, Puerto Rico & Houston (to name but a few), others are imagined from personal experience of evacuating her home during the 2017 Thomas Fire. Woven into the exhibition as a whole is the sense of immediacy, crisis and loss, which is drawn from having to abandon cherished property in the blink of an eye.
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Karon DavisOld Man Moses, 2018Plaster strips, chicken wire, steel armature, glass eyes, Onye’s hair, Native American staff74 x 44 x 33 in. -
Karon DavisBlue Boy, 2018Plaster strips, chicken wire, steel armature, glass eyes, sand from Siwa (Egypt)53 x 27 x 27 inches
134.6 x 68.6 x 68.6 cm. -
Karon DavisJames and Baby Girl Star, 2018Plaster strips, chicken wire, steel armature, glass eyes55 x 28 x 34 in.
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Karon DavisGod Bless Preston, 2018Plaster strips, chicken wire, steel armature, glass eyes, stop sign86 x 67 x 33 inches
218.4 x 170.2 x 83.8 cm. -
Karon DavisThe Smiths, 2018Metal mail box, plaster and acrylic paint14 x 15 x 22 in.
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Karon DavisBeth and Solomon, 2018Plaster strips, chicken wire, steel armature, glass eyes, burlap, 99¢ store earrings, synthetic hair53 x 99 x 39 in.
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Karon DavisNoah and his Ark, 2018Wooden row boat, various found objects, plaster strips, chicken wire, steel armature, glass eyes46 x 155 x 50 inches
116.8 x 393.7 x 127 cm. -
Karon DavisMami Wata, 2018Plaster strips, chicken wire, steel armature, glass eyes, cowry shells, Karon’s old weave, tears42 x 24 x 36 in.
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Karon DavisRussell, 2018Plaster strips, chicken wire, steel armature, glass eyes37 x 31 x 23 in.
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Karon DavisGeorge Bush doesn't care about Black people (and neither does Trump), 2018Plaster strips, chicken wire, steel armature, glass eyes, wood, distressed wallpaper, plywood, roof shinglesDimensions variable
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Karon Davis: ‘Muddy Water’. Private and Universal Crises
Jody Zellen, ARTNOW LA, November 1, 2018 -
Karon Davis at Wilding Cran Gallery
Simone Krug, Contemporary Art Review Los Angeles, October 31, 2018 -
PUSH THROUGH: A CLOSER LOOK AT KARON DAVIS’ MUDDY WATER
Dominique Clayton, Sugarcane Magazine, October 31, 2018 -
Karon Davis’ “Muddy Water” Immerses Gallery Visitors in Flood Victims’ Distress
Annabel Osberg, AEQAI, October 28, 2018
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Sculptures of Courage and Resilience
Shana Nys Dambrot, LA WEEKLY, October 17, 2018 -
EXHIBITION: Karon Davis at Wilding Cran Los Angeles
Beatrice Chassepot, Be-art Magazine, October 16, 2018 -
Artist explores the tragedy of natural disaster in ‘Muddy Waters’
Olivia De Witt, Daily Trojan, October 3, 2018 -
Review: Flood victims search for higher ground in Karon Davis' powerful show 'Muddy Water' at Wilding Cran Gallery
David Pagel, Los Angeles Times, October 1, 2018
