Untitled Nº03, from the series Silhouettes, 2014
Untitled Nº11, from the series Silhouettes, 2014
Untitled Nº12, from the series Silhouettes, 2014
Untitled Nº19, from the series Silhouettes, 2014
Untitled Nº20, from the series Silhouettes, 2014
Untitled Nº21, from the series Silhouettes, 2013
Untitled Nº22, from the series Silhouettes, 2014
Untitled Nº24 from the series Silhouettes, 2014
Untitled Nº27, from the series Silhouettes, 2014
Untitled Nº30, from the series Silhouettes, 2014
Untitled Nº05, from the series Silhouettes, 2013
Untitled Nº06, from the series Silhouettes, 2013
Untitled Nº26, from the series Silhouettes, 2014
Untitled Nº02, from the series Silhouettes, 2014
Untitled Nº16, from the series Silhouettes, 2013
Laurence Miller Gallery is pleased to present ERICA DEEMAN: Silhouettes – the artist’s first solo exhibition in New York, and the gallery’s first show at its new location in Chelsea.
Silhouettes comprises a series of 45 x 45 inch color portraits of women from the African Diaspora, most of whom were previously unknown to the artist. Deeman found her subjects by placing ads, approaching strangers on the street, and asking friends and family to pose. The artist engages the complex legacy of the silhouette to subvert established biases founded on “face value”, gender, and race.
Deeman’s portraits elevate Black Femininity and identity, highlighting an emerging critical narrative that defies stereotype and biases. At first glance, the large-than-life portraits appear to be impenetrable black and white silhouettes, but as the viewer becomes more intimate with each image, each woman’s individuality is revealed through rich textures, skin color and facial expressions. Deeman states: “It has been for me to reflect how I see myself, how I see and how I am seen...through these women.”
Erica Deeman was born in Nottingham, UK, in 1977, and currently lives and works in San Francisco, CA. She was a 2016 TOSA Award Finalist, and in 2015, she received the ProArts 2 x 2 Solos 2015: Emerging Artists award, and the Working Artists Grant - November.
Deeman’s work was featured in a solo exhibition at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Archive, Berkeley, CA, and has also been in many domestic and international group exhibitions, including Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Aberystwyth, UK; The Hive, Worcester, Worcestershire, UK; Municipal Gallery, Library and Cultural Centre, Dublin, Ireland; New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA; Old Truman Brewery, London, UK; Pier 24 Photography, San Francisco, CA; SF Cameraworks, San Francisco, CA; and the University of Derby, Derbyshire, UK.
Her work is included in the permanent collections of the Martin Margulies Collection, Miami; Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive; Museum of Contemporary Photography, Columbia College of Chicago; Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego, CA; New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA; and Pier 24 Photography, San Francisco, CA.
Kimberly Henderson, writing for Gallery Gurls, says "Through Erica Deeman’s simple yet poignant display of the works, the eloquent posing and raw presentation, and the radiance that surrounds them, all work together to profoundly exalt their presence and further the investigation into how we define ourselves, and one another. "
“I think people see people of the same race as essentially the same,” says Deeman. “So, there was a tension that I could cause by creating an environment that could be perceived as the same if you weren’t paying attention.”
