Devin Monét Alexander
Devin is a mixed media, collage artist from Newark, NJ. She has recently completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts with a minor in Museum and Gallery Practices. She currently resides in her hometown of Newark and continues her studio practice exploring the complexities of disconnect, disembodiment, and detachment through figurative imagery. These complexities are investigated by journeying through her interest in materials, color, and her own personal conflicts with anxiety. Outside of school, Devin is finding ways to further her artistic career through research, fellowships, residencies; local and abroad.
Links
Myrtle Avenue's 2020 Blackartstory: Some Words Devin M. Alexander, BFA Fine Arts ‘20, reflects on community and belonging when creating her “Long Live, Magic†installation for Some Words: Black Artstory Month 2020 during the month of February in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill. -Pratt Institute News
Artist Statement
My studio practice began with exploring mental health, specifically anxiety. For the past year, I’ve been exploring the ways in which I can recreate those moments where I have experienced an anxiety attack. The first piece created in my studio, Night Never Came, depicts one of my severe attacks. My room, an environment that comforts me, was unrecognizable and uncomfortable. At the time, disconnect, disembodiment, and detachment were not in mind. However, in the making of Night Never Came, the slightly broken down environment, the figure on the mattress somewhat floating in space along with other details in space, began to reveal these concepts.
The crafting of my body of work excites me. Color-aid paper is the dominant medium in my work along with craft paper, Origami, and Kirigami papers are used as skin for the body and hair. Black micron pen and Sharpie markers are used for the varied continuous line quality in the facial features and various expressions of melancholy but also expressions of glee. The materials do the work of revealing detachment, disconnection and especially disembodiment. For example, We Need To Hurry shows two figures carrying multiple bags, some of which are oversized suggesting emotional baggage is weighing them down. However, the paper used is light-weight suggesting the idea of floating through space when feeling disconnected and detached. Not to mention, some of the limbs of the figures differ in color, suggesting the concept of disembodiment. To add, cutting the figures and objects out brings about the possibility of change. It suggests that the work can evolve and or be moved and placed because there may be more to explore.
While spending more time in the studio there was a shift in the way I viewed my work in relation to these concepts. I began to highlight the concepts of detachment, disembodiment, and disconnection. After creating the figures without an environment in mind, We Need To Hurry became a catalyst for these concepts. What does it feel like, to be detached and disconnected? What does this feeling look like by means of body language and facial expression? Do we put up a front? Do we put on a mask to seem fine but in reality, it is not so? What if this mask is in fact not a disguise?
The crafting of my body of work excites me. Color-aid paper is the dominant medium in my work along with craft paper, Origami, and Kirigami papers are used as skin for the body and hair. Black micron pen and Sharpie markers are used for the varied continuous line quality in the facial features and various expressions of melancholy but also expressions of glee. The materials do the work of revealing detachment, disconnection and especially disembodiment. For example, We Need To Hurry shows two figures carrying multiple bags, some of which are oversized suggesting emotional baggage is weighing them down. However, the paper used is light-weight suggesting the idea of floating through space when feeling disconnected and detached. Not to mention, some of the limbs of the figures differ in color, suggesting the concept of disembodiment. To add, cutting the figures and objects out brings about the possibility of change. It suggests that the work can evolve and or be moved and placed because there may be more to explore.
While spending more time in the studio there was a shift in the way I viewed my work in relation to these concepts. I began to highlight the concepts of detachment, disembodiment, and disconnection. After creating the figures without an environment in mind, We Need To Hurry became a catalyst for these concepts. What does it feel like, to be detached and disconnected? What does this feeling look like by means of body language and facial expression? Do we put up a front? Do we put on a mask to seem fine but in reality, it is not so? What if this mask is in fact not a disguise?