David-Jeremiah’s debut exhibition will take place in anonymous gallery’s newly-opened, sub-level space on New York’s Baxter Street, and will consist of a handmade US American flag presented on the floor, spanning the length and breadth of the gallery, and surrounded by a ritualistic powder outline of chalk mixed with crushed pig skull and dry ramen.
The upward-facing side of the flag is a handmade assemblage in shades of black fabric and stars made from a mixture of genuine and fake Lamborghini floor mats; the hidden, downward-facing side is a readymade tricolor flag manufactured in the United States. Upon entry to the gallery, the viewer must make the decision between peering upon the flag from a remove or proceeding inward and upon the flag’s black side, inevitably tracking (and whitewashing) the surface with powdery footprints drawn from the edges. Meanwhile, the other side remains pristine while occluded during the inverted performance in the gallery.
G’ordiavonte (Gee-or-día-von-te) Fold is an exhibition about Black inclusion in contemporary art discourse, wherein the black body is made central, while not only circumscribed by, but ultimately subsumed by whiteness.
The conclusion of this relational performance involves the folding of the American flag, but with the traditional tricolor side facing outward. This ritual involves thirteen folds, each representing some vaunted moral principle from American mythology—nonverbal utterances that extol faith, unity, liberty, family, and the departed. Meanwhile, as the flag is folded, the Black side, which was visible and whitewashed during the inverted-performance, is progressively folded inwards until rendered invisible.
G’ordiavonte Fold is the result and final object - a bound and sealed, large-scale folded flag. As a representation of the ultimate sacrifice, the folded flag is manifestly American, but the artwork’s title brands the object and thus seals its fate. Like the Gordian Knot, this sculpture is made from layers of encrypted, complex information. To “unloose” this particular rebus, the viewer would need to either destroy it (to reveal its ashy black interior) or simply un-name the flag, rendering it an inert emblem of white America.
This performative work embodies the singular yet tripartite theme of David-Jeremiah’s conceptual practice: the denial, restoration and brokerage of power to the Black American subject. While culminating in a static object (the folded US flag), the Fold involves the inclusion of the Black body in white space, its debasement and erasure, and—finally—its reclamation of itself as an autonomous (albeit arcane) object.
David-Jeremiah, b. 1985, Dallas, TX, is a multidisciplinary artist who lives and works in Oak Cliff, TX. Solo projects have included shows with Janette Kennedy Gallery; The Public Trust and PLANT/NON- Dallas, TX. David-Jeremiah is a 2020 recipient of the Nasher Sculpture Center Artist Grant Award. Recent solo exhibitions include PLAY, presented by Kendra Jayne Patrick and Halsey McKay Gallery. Later in March, von ammon co. will present his most ambitious solo exhibition to date.
*** NO PHOTOGRAPHY ALLOWED
According to the 2020 US census, the population of African Americans in the United States stands at 13.4%. Therefore at 13.4% into the 32 day exhibition “G’ordiavonte Fold”, the artist David-Jeremiah has conceptualized and requested that at 102 hours, 54 minutes, and 43 seconds all camerawork and documentation cease.
The imperative aims to highlight the countless acts of injustices that go unseen, unheard and underreported - and the accumulation of pain that can only be related through personal experience.
In lieu of cameras and smartphones, the visitor will hereby be required to use the only available technology left: their eyes and their memories, and will need to describe encountering the installation without further aid.
Over the course of the exhibition the gallery will continue to share much of the documentation taken within the timeframe allotted - and any other documentation from the public to this point can be used freely.
We welcome the public to visit in person and participate in this experience. The gallery is wheelchair accessible and we will make special accommodations for those who are concerned about physically attending due to covid. Schedule appointments at anonymousgallery.com/contact or visit 136 Baxter Street : 12-6, Tuesday - Saturday.
For further information please contact hello@anonymousgallery.com