Assembly at Mrs. – Art Viewer

Artists: Damien Davis, Rachel Eulena Williams, Sun You

Exhibition title: Assembly

Venue: Mrs., New York, US

Date: January 25 – March 21, 2020

Photography: all images copyright and courtesy of the artist and Mrs., New York

Mrs. is excited to present Assembly, an exhibition of new works by Damien Davis, Rachel Eulena Williams and Sun You. The word “assembly” is defined as the action of fitting together the component parts of a machine or other object; a group of people congregated together in one place for a common purpose; or the action of gathering together for a universal goal. This exhibition has been inspired by this word and this action, bringing together three artists working within unique mediums, challenging the typical notions of painting and sculpture.

Energized by a recent residency in Santiago Chile, Damien Davis’ new works take their influence from various points in Chile’s history, attempting to form a confluence of historical reference points. Constructed from plexi-glass and stainless steel hardware on panel, these works expand upon his practice of unpacking the visual language of cultures both domestic and abroad, questioning how cultures code and decode representations of “blackness” in its myriad of interpretations. With the recent protests in Chile heavily influencing numerous protests here in the United States, these works build a connecting bridge, linking the two countries’ shared histories of national expansion, governmental turmoil, and political activism.

Rachel Eulena Williams’sculptural paintings continue an experimental approach to painting’s materials. For this exhibition, Williams uses traditional painting panels as pedestals, in the fashion a sculptor would use a pedestal to hold an object. These panels contain cut, sewn and painted canvas. These new structures allow drawing and mark making to come from the physicality of the objects and their relationship to paint. Willams’ works confront the form of abstract image by incorporating sculptural techniques. Often employing rope, transforming its nature, she creates relief marks; a history of moving objects are made across the surface in this newly defined process of painting. Williams’ works are fundamentally a study of memory, looking at how the life of the object, the individual, and tradition cohere into a worldview, questioning the relationship between perception and reality.

Sun You’s work overlaps the spheres of fine art, craft and home decoration. The artist’s abstract wall panels are both paintings and low relief sculptures. The association with domesticity and baking is reinforced in her handbuilding techniques of rolling, pinching polymer clay and firing the works in an oven. The included tabletop sculptures loosely reference Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement. Within these sculptures she utilizes objects such as eyelash extensions, razor blades, beads, screws and earrings. In combining these materials the artist references “women’s work,” craft, the ready made and the language of abstraction. These works draw beauty and humor from humble materials and is a reflection on the joy, pathos and fragility of daily existence.

The exhibition will be on view from January 25 – March 21, 2020. For available works, press inquiries, and additional information, please contact hello@mrsgallery.com.

Damien Davis (b. 1984), holds a BFA in Studio Art and an MA in Visual Arts Administration from New York University. His works have appeared at The Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Arts and Design, New York, NY and various galleries across the country. He is the recipient of the Rema Hort Mann Foundation Community Engagement Grant and has been awarded residencies with Triangle Arts Association, the Museum of Arts and Design, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Pilchuck Glass School and Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art and Storytelling. Davis is currently an artist in residence Dieu Donné Paper Mill in Brooklyn, NY. He is also a former fellow and current advisor for the Art & Law Program in New York. Davis lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.

Rachel Eulena Williams (b. 1991, Miami, FL) received a BFA from Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, New York in 2013. Her work has been exhibited at Night Gallery, Los Angeles, SomeTime Salon, San Francisco, CA; Ceysson & Bénétière, Derek Eller Gallery, The Journal Gallery, New York; Greenpoint Hill, Brooklyn; Halsey Mckay Gallery, East Hampton, New York; Mass Gallery, Austin, TX; and Ceysson & Bénétière, Wandhaff, Luxembourg. Williams currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.

Sun You is a Seoul born, New York based artist. She received a BFA from the College for Creative Studies and an MFA in painting from Wayne State University, Detroit, MI. Recent exhibitions include The Pit, Glendale, CA; Step Sister, New York, the Queens Museum, Corona, NY; The Hangaram Art Museum, Seoul, Korea; Scotty Enterprise, Berlin, Germany; VCU, Richmond, VA and The Suburban, Chicago, IL. You was an artist in residence at Hunter College, the Ace Hotel, Marble House Project, Atlantic Center for the Arts, Triangle Arts Association, Künstlerhaus Schloss Balmoral and the Sharpe and Walentas Studio Program.

Assembly, 2020, exhibition view, Mrs., New York

Sun You, No Title, 2019, Polymer Clay, Wood and Acrylic on Panel, 48 x 120 x 2 in (121.92 x 304.80 x 5.08 cm)

Rachel Eulena Williams, Unearthed Glow Tutorial, 2018, Acrylic on Canvas and Rope, 45.70 x 59.10 x 1 in (116.08 x 150.11 x 2.54 cm)

Damien Davis, Expansión Costera (Blackamoors Collage #314), 2020, Laser-cut Plexiglass, CNC Milled Plywood and Stainless Steel Hardware, 36 x 28 x 1 in (91.44 x 71.12 x 2.54 cm)

Damien Davis, Tránsito Público (Blackamoors Collage #313), 2020, Laser-cut Plexiglass, CNC Milled Plywood and Stainless Steel Hardware, 36 x 28 x 1 in (91.44 x 71.12 x 2.54 cm)

Damien Davis, Visión 2020 (Blackamoors Collage #315), 2020, Laser-cut Plexiglass, CNC Milled Plywood and Stainless Steel Hardware, 36 x 28 x 1 in (91.44 x 71.12 x 2.54 cm)

Rachel Eulena Williams, Untitled, 2019, Acrylic, Rope and Canvas on Wood Panel, 40.50 x 30.50 x 4 in (102.87 x 77.47 x 10.16 cm)

Rachel Eulena Williams, Watching From the Window, 2019, Acrylic, Rope and Canvas on Wood Panel, 24.50 x 20.50 x 2 in (62.23 x 52.07 x 5.08 cm)

Sun You, No Title, 2019, Polymer Clay and Acrylic on Panel, 30 x 22 x 2 in (76.20 x 55.88 x 5.08 cm)

Sun You, No Title, 2019, Wire, Magnets, Beads, Plastic Flowers, Silk Pins, Watercolor and Wood, 13.50 x 21 x 9.50 in (34.29 x 53.34 x 24.13 cm)

Sun You, No Title, 2019, Wire, Watercolor, Wood, Needle, Eyelash Extension, Beads, Paper Clip, Plastic Flowers and Magnets, 17 x 21 x 9.50 in (43.18 x 53.34 x 24.13 cm)