David Antonio Cruz // wegivesomuch-andgivenothingatall, paintings for richard
APRIL 7 THROUGH JUNE 2, 2018
(Inglewood, CA) Residency Art Gallery is extremely pleased to present the solo exhibition wegivesomuch-andgivenothingatall, paintings for richard, by David Antonio Cruz. The solo exhibition will run from April 7th through June 2nd, with an opening reception on Saturday, April 7th from 6pm to 9pm.
David Antonio Cruz is an artist whose work often centers around the intersections of genderqueerness, race, and society. His multidisciplinary practice confronts the invisibility of the queer brown and black bodies through the use of portraiture and opera-like performances. wegivesomuchandgivenothingatall, paintings for richard, is a collection of portraits within that same oeuvre looks specifically at the trans community and the violence done unto the community. The exhibition pays homage to the memory of trans persons who were brutally murdered between 2017 and 2018. The series, which includes 28 paintings, mixed media collages, and drawings, not only seeks to lay bare the glaring systemic violence against the trans community; but also, strives to revive the individuality, beauty, and humanity of each slain victim. Cruz’s work navigates the tension between anonymous, but impactful statistical data and individual visibility.
“This pervasive idea that trans women deserve violence needs to be abolished. It’s a socially sanctioned practice of blaming the victim. We must begin blaming our culture, which stigmatizes, demeans, and strips trans women of their humanity.”-Janet Mock, Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love So Much More
In 2017, the Human Rights Campaign issued a report accounting for the deaths of 28 trans persons, mostly trans women of color, due to fatal violence. This number was the highest ever recorded since such a record of such hate crimes have been kept. At the risk of delving into the murky territory that could be perceived as supposition and/or conjecture, one could this number may not accurately reflect the number of violent murders of trans people. Only crimes that are reported and verified are included in this type of statistical data. Given that the trans community that has long been persecuted, ignored, and/or invisiblized, it is not a far reach to think that many fatal crimes against the trans community go unnoticed. Cruz acknowledges and integrates what limited (and sometimes non-existent) media coverage there is on hate crimes against the trans community through the smaller figured-centric collaged works, which compositionally inform the larger paintings. He is an artist who is deeply interested in historical portrayals and narratives around queerness, and paintings for richard, expands upon that penchant for layering history unto itself and means to illustrate the volume of violence that has been intentionally ignored.
Installation Images
About the Artist
David Antonio Cruz
Cruz is a multidisciplinary, New York-based artist. Cruz fuses painting, video, and performance to explore the invisibility and silencing of brown and black queer bodies. Cruz received a BFA in painting at Pratt Institute (1998) and an MFA from Yale University (2009). He attended Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture and completed the AIM Program at the Bronx Museum in 2006. Recent residencies include the LMCC Workspace and Project for Empty Space’s Social Impact Residency. Notable group exhibitions include El Museo del Barrio, BRIC, Performa 13, and the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. He was awarded fellowships with The Franklin Furnace Fund Award and The Urban Artist Initiative Award. Recently he produced and performed How to Order A Chocolate Cake at BRIC and on The High Line Park and his operatic performance, Green,howiwantyougreen at The Whim Plantation and Great Estate in St Croix and at the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico in San Juan. Recent press includes The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, WhiteHot Magazine, W Magazine, Bomb Magazine, and El Centro Journal.
Currently, he is participating in the Queer Arts Mentorship/ Fellowship Program. The artist lives and works in New York City.