Exhibitions
Derick Decario Ladale Whitson's Sugar (Chapter II)
SOLO SHOW SELECTION 2021
June 12 - August 8, 2021
June 12 - August 8, 2021
On June 12, Kaiser Gallery presents SUGAR (Chapter II), a solo exhibition by Derick Decario Ladale Whitson. Whitson (b. 1991 Mansfield, Ohio) is an artist currently living and working in NYC. Working primarily in photography and video, Whitson explores the history and relationships of clowning, drag queens and black/white face to explore the social constructs of race, gender, and sexuality.
Derick Decario Ladale Whitson has attended artist residencies at AICAD New York Studio Residency Program, NY; Mass MoCA, Massachusetts; The Fountainhead, Miami, FL; and The Galveston Artist Residency. His work has recently been exhibited at Art Basel, Miami, FL; The Studio Museum in Harlem; and The Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins, CO. Whitson is also a current recipient of the Foundation For Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant, the 2019 Enfoco Photography Fellowship, & The 2019 NYSCA/NYFA Photography Fellowship. Whitson received his MFA at Columbia University and BFA from Columbus College of Art & Design.
Derick Decario Ladale Whitson has attended artist residencies at AICAD New York Studio Residency Program, NY; Mass MoCA, Massachusetts; The Fountainhead, Miami, FL; and The Galveston Artist Residency. His work has recently been exhibited at Art Basel, Miami, FL; The Studio Museum in Harlem; and The Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins, CO. Whitson is also a current recipient of the Foundation For Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant, the 2019 Enfoco Photography Fellowship, & The 2019 NYSCA/NYFA Photography Fellowship. Whitson received his MFA at Columbia University and BFA from Columbus College of Art & Design.
Derick Decario Ladale Whitson
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Derick Decario Ladale Whitson (b. 1991, Mansfield, Ohio) lives & works in New York City. Earned his MFA at Columbia University & BFA from Columbus College of Art & Design. Working within the realms of Photography, Video & Performance. Whitson’s work has been published in Miami New Times, Huffington Post, The Advocate Magazine, & Photo-Emphasis. Whitson has participated in many residencies across the U.S., including programs at Mass MoCA, The Fountainhead (Miami), and the AICAD/New York Studio Residency Program. Whitson is also a current recipient of the Foundation For Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant, the 2019 Enfoco Photography Fellowship, & The 2019 NYSCA/NYFA Photography Fellowship.
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Artist Statement
This is your Ego: Words, two words, made up of two words. I’ve waited on the smell of beef stew and the taste of the burned garlic that sizzles the throat. My throat has held tension, it could be the tightness from allergies or the 3 legged dog pose that has become impossible to comfortably release. I’ve found moments of silence, maybe only two, but the background noise of television, irritates my thoughts on the search for a job that will convert me into a citizen. Theres been no quench of my thirst, theres no physical metaphor or reason to continue slurping orange juice. My belly is bloated, it’s beyond the american cheese and meat lovers pizza. The anxiety holds tight onto the gas that introduces itself to my neighbors. Maybe I waited for this? Waited to find that my true lover is longing and the potential, to make believe and form surrealist dreams that remind me of the bones in my sleeves. I have two treasure chests, one in my pores and the other in the sheets when I allow one sock to go because of a fungus thats beneath one curled toe. I had a dream of painting, navigating color relationships on a canvas. I also dreamed of riding my bicycle down a hill that was so steep I could barely break. Ellen is the name, she’s my divination tarot card reader. I’ve never seen her, I’ve never spoken to her, but she reveals a path. Sometimes I hear my own thoughts like a bell, the bell from the toaster oven that invented itself? Is it really true that I could be a combination of everything and every one else, am I made up of other peoples thoughts. There’s something to the color mint green, the green influences my sickness, almost like a tooth decaying in response to a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone. I’ve loved once before, he was kind, gentle, sweet, the production of him happened in my dreams. I’ve thought about my dreams once before, they told me theres something to the color yellow, they said it’s like a stench in the air that’s only tainted by the sun. Running doesn’t get me high, it only forces me to create a amount of sympathy, sympathy for my insecurities. I’ve seen this chevron pattern once before, it follows the stripes that mask themselves in red & white, but this time in cotton. Cotton has become a symbol, I’m not sure of what, maybe it’s the mucus that drowned itself in my skin. A rose also carries it’s own symbol, and I don’t mean a projected symbol that signifies the artificial lighting from Christmas lights. I’ve learned two things about breathing, only one represents life. Calvin, what a lovely name, is that because it’s attached to my suit case, or my white underwear that rises in my shorts. I’ve found solace in my longing, time in my heart beat, and a tremor in my waken state. Lets hope my ego has found peace also.
Andrew Ellis Johnson
"Insurrection" (2020)
Ink on paper.
50 x 113 inches
The Weight of Time
August 14 - October 10, 2021
'The Weight of Time' is an exhibition that explores the surrealism of a very real global pandemic through introspective works. The novel virus COVID-19 threw the world as we knew it into a situation that we've never seen before. The global pandemic and the shutdowns that followed created disorientating challenges for various people to navigate in different ways while further exposing broken government infrastructure and community ramifications for a world that was not prepared to stop.
Presenting the works of Chad Eby, Danny Greene, Andrew Ellis Johnson, Matt Milligan, Haumed Rahmani, and Nowhere Mountain.
'The Weight of Time' is an exhibition that explores the surrealism of a very real global pandemic through introspective works. The novel virus COVID-19 threw the world as we knew it into a situation that we've never seen before. The global pandemic and the shutdowns that followed created disorientating challenges for various people to navigate in different ways while further exposing broken government infrastructure and community ramifications for a world that was not prepared to stop.
Presenting the works of Chad Eby, Danny Greene, Andrew Ellis Johnson, Matt Milligan, Haumed Rahmani, and Nowhere Mountain.
Cut From the Same Cloth
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CLEVELAND INSTITUTE OF ART: CREATIVITY WORKS PROGRAM
October 16 - November 28, 2021
Cut From the Same Cloth features the mixed media works of Ewuresi Archer and Crystal Miller.
The vibrant works in this series draw directly from the artists' African American and African cultures, offering a dialect and a conversation between the two experiences.
"We come from two different backgrounds and are of the same race. There are a lot of differences and similarities between us as humans but also between our cultures. As a result, the work depicts our hopefulness and pride in our cultures. Rooted in cultural experiences, the hair salon, music, and home life, these experiences bring us together. While this may not be the lifestyle for every black person, we hope, in some way, a connection can be made.
The paintings depict physical spaces that we have been in and or are a place we call home. The textures, patterns, and gem-like motifs represent the continuous black lifestyle. The color combination is used to represent black skin but also celebrate black lives and transform these spaces and demonstrate an experience.
Overall the series invites the viewer to reflect on these spaces, and look into our lives, and appreciate our culture for what it is."
October 16 - November 28, 2021
Cut From the Same Cloth features the mixed media works of Ewuresi Archer and Crystal Miller.
The vibrant works in this series draw directly from the artists' African American and African cultures, offering a dialect and a conversation between the two experiences.
"We come from two different backgrounds and are of the same race. There are a lot of differences and similarities between us as humans but also between our cultures. As a result, the work depicts our hopefulness and pride in our cultures. Rooted in cultural experiences, the hair salon, music, and home life, these experiences bring us together. While this may not be the lifestyle for every black person, we hope, in some way, a connection can be made.
The paintings depict physical spaces that we have been in and or are a place we call home. The textures, patterns, and gem-like motifs represent the continuous black lifestyle. The color combination is used to represent black skin but also celebrate black lives and transform these spaces and demonstrate an experience.
Overall the series invites the viewer to reflect on these spaces, and look into our lives, and appreciate our culture for what it is."