By Cameron Reichenbach / The Jambar
The Judith Rae Solomon Gallery at Youngstown State University is presenting “Wrinkles in the Smile of Divinity,” a solo art exhibition by Davon Brantley.
Claudia Berlinski, director of the John J. McDonough Museum of Art, said the exhibition is on view from Feb. 2-Feb. 27 in Bliss Hall and is presented in partnership with the Africana Studies program at YSU as part of the university’s Black History Month programming.
“Each year, we do a Black History Month exhibition, and it has traditionally been organized through Africana studies,” Berlinski said. “In fact, it’s the 19th year doing it.”
Berlinski said the exhibition serves as an important opportunity to highlight artists often underrepresented in mainstream art spaces.
“I think [it’s] an important tradition to honor Black artists, and just artists of color in general, and often women artists are underrepresented,” Berlinski said. “Thinking about the state of underrepresented artists, and why we have things like Black History Month to focus on underrepresented peoples in general.”
The exhibition is influenced by Dante Alighieri’s “Divine Comedy” and presents a trilogy of works that navigate the profound territories of hell, purgatory and divinity as metaphors for the artist’s personal journeys.
In a press release, Brantly stated that the exhibition explores themes of generational ideas about love, domesticity, grief and connection.
“This body of work explores perception and the implications of maintaining and obtaining ‘image’ or the lack thereof,” Brantley stated. “The exhibition asks vital questions: How do we perceive perfection or the Divine? What will one endure to achieve their divine purpose?”
Berlinski said Brantley’s age and professional path make him especially relatable to students.
“He’s under 30.” Berlinski said. “The topics are really very relevant to some of the things the students encounter.”
Berlinski said the artists’ multimedia approach reflects the diversity of contemporary art practices. She added that Brantley’s career trajectory may serve as a model for current art majors.
“He’s really hot in [the] Cleveland area [and] northeast Ohio right now as an artist,” she said. “Just curating shows, doing solo shows, doing group exhibitions of things that our students will be doing, hopefully, when they graduate. So, I think he’s very relatable to them.”
Beyond the art department, Berlinski said she believes the arts positively influence culture.
“Art, in general, arts of all kinds impact culture and society as a whole in a great way,” she said. “Sometimes in ways that we don’t think about.”
Berlinski also said she hopes the exhibition leaves a lasting impression on those who visit.
“I hope that anybody who’s seen this exhibition remembers some part of his work and remembers him as an artist,” Berlinski said. “Just any kind of memory that people can take away from seeing the exhibition would be great.”
The gallery is free and open to the public. Parking is available in the M30 Parking Deck for a $5 cash fee.