damali ayo had an excellent show in Seattle at the Center on Contemporary
Art (CoCA), called "Skinned." It really shows a lot
of her range as an artist. In "Flesh Room," a space
painted her own skin shade, her art literally obscures the artist
like camoflauge.
In that room, she disappears somewhat while standing in front
of the wall. Nice touch. It's about how basic skin-shade characteristics
overshadow people. Yet when people who do not match her shade
stand in the room the difference stands out all the more saliently.
The point? Color matters but it is up to the viewer to subjectively
determine how.
Overall, "Skinned" is pretty nuanced and aesthetic.
Its genesis occurred in a paint store where the staff was continually
asked to match colors. Ayo, being the imp she is, simply asked
to match her skin tone.
In the second room, ayo arranged a multitude of skin-toned surfaces
with dime-store frames. The effect is concussive: ayo as an artist
has completely disappeared into a sea of flat, droll distinctions
about skin tones. A real showstopper.
It's easy to get used to as art. However, does it really change
people? Probably not, unless it's put in increasingly public spaces.
But as Victor Frankl pointed out while accounting his ordeal in
the holocaust, "A human being can get used to anything."
Ayo's display of variety is at least part of the solution.
