Guest artist Davon Brantley to exhibit at Judith Rae Solomon Gallery

YSU’s Department of Art will welcome guest artist Davon Brantley to campus as he exhibits “Wrinkles in the Smile of Divinity” at the Judith Rae Solomon Gallery beginning Monday, February 2, through Friday, February 27.

Influenced by Dante’s “Divine Comedy,” Brantley will present a trilogy of works that navigate the profound territories of Hell, Purgatory, and Divinity as metaphors for the artist’s personal journey. Utilizing Rorschach-silhouetted substrates, non-conventional portraiture, and dynamic blooming colors, the exhibit will examine how toxic generational ideas about love and domesticity shape our lives, how we navigate the nonlinear beauty and dread of grief, and how we reconcile traditional values with the contemporary realities of connection and family.

“This body of work explores perception and the implications of maintaining and obtaining ‘image’ or the lack thereof,” Brantley said. “The exhibition asks vital questions: how do we perceive perfection or the Divine? What will one endure to achieve their divine purpose?”

In addition to the exhibition, Brantley will present an artist lecture Tuesday, February 3, at 5:30 PM at the McDonough Museum lecture hall (room 3000), followed by an opening reception at the Solomon Gallery at approximately 6:30 PM.

This exhibition is presented in partnership with the Africana Studies Program at YSU.

Entry to all events is free and open to the public. Parking is available at the Wick Avenue Deck (M30) for a $5 fee payable in cash only.