The Wick List

Viewing Kenturah Davis invokes trailblazing Black female creatives in drawings, carvings and essays

The Wick Culture - Kenturah Davis, 'clouds XII', 2024. Carbon pencil rubbing and debossed text on igarashi kozo paper, 50.8 x 50.8cm (20 x 20in) Framed: 54 x 54cm (21 1/4 x 21 1/4in). Copyright the artist. Courtesy the artist; Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York, and Matthew Brown, Los Angeles and New York.

Above Kenturah Davis, ‘clouds XII’, 2024. Carbon pencil rubbing and debossed text on igarashi kozo paper, 50.8 x 50.8cm (20 x 20in) Framed: 54 x 54cm (21 1/4 x 21 1/4in). Copyright the artist. Courtesy the artist; Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York, and Matthew Brown, Los Angeles and New York.

The Wick Culture - Kenturah Davis, ‘duration I (jada)’, 2024. Lenticular print , 48.9 x 68.3cm (19 1/4 x 26 7/8in). Copyright the artist. Courtesy the artist; Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York, and Matthew Brown, Los Angeles and New York.

Above Kenturah Davis, ‘duration I (jada)’, 2024. Lenticular print , 48.9 x 68.3cm (19 1/4 x 26 7/8in). Copyright the artist. Courtesy the artist; Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York, and Matthew Brown, Los Angeles and New York.

The Wick Culture - Kenturah Davis, 'volume I (k)', 2024. Carbon pencil rubbing and debossed text on igarashi kozo paper with ash vessels in a walnut frame. Two parts, each 75.6 x 75.6cm (29 3/4 x 29 3/4in) Framed 154.6 x 96.5cm (60 7/8 x 38in). Copyright the artist. Courtesy the artist; Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York, and Matthew Brown, Los Angeles and New York.

Above Kenturah Davis, ‘volume I (k)’, 2024. Carbon pencil rubbing and debossed text on igarashi kozo paper with ash vessels in a walnut frame. Two parts, each 75.6 x 75.6cm (29 3/4 x 29 3/4in) Framed 154.6 x 96.5cm (60 7/8 x 38in). Copyright the artist. Courtesy the artist; Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York, and Matthew Brown, Los Angeles and New York.

The Wick Culture - Kenturah Davis, 'clouds VIII', 2024. Carbon pencil rubbing and debossed text on igarashi kozo paper, 50.8 x 50.8cm (20 x 20in) Framed: 54 x 54cm (21 1/4 x 21 1/4in). Copyright the artist. Courtesy the artist; Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York, and Matthew Brown, Los Angeles and New York.

Above Kenturah Davis, ‘clouds VIII’, 2024. Carbon pencil rubbing and debossed text on igarashi kozo paper, 50.8 x 50.8cm (20 x 20in) Framed: 54 x 54cm (21 1/4 x 21 1/4in). Copyright the artist. Courtesy the artist; Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York, and Matthew Brown, Los Angeles and New York.

The Wick Culture - Kenturah Davis, 'volume II (marjani)', 2024. Carbon pencil rubbing and debossed text on igarashi kozo paper with a walnut and brass vessel in a walnut frame, 75.6 x 75.6cm (29 3/4 x 29 3/4in) Framed: 78.1 x 98.1cm (30 3/4 x 38 5/8in). Copyright the artist. Courtesy the artist; Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York, and Matthew Brown, Los Angeles and New York.

Above Kenturah Davis, ‘volume II (marjani)’, 2024. Carbon pencil rubbing and debossed text on igarashi kozo paper with a walnut and brass vessel in a walnut frame, 75.6 x 75.6cm (29 3/4 x 29 3/4in) Framed: 78.1 x 98.1cm (30 3/4 x 38 5/8in). Copyright the artist. Courtesy the artist; Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York, and Matthew Brown, Los Angeles and New York.

The Wick Culture - Kenturah Davis, 'planar vessel XXVII (jada)', 2024. Carbon pencil rubbing and debossed text on igarashi kozo paper. Four parts, each 75.6 x 75.6cm (29 3/4 x 29 3/4in) Framed: 155.3 x 155.3cm (61 1/8 x 61 1/8in). Copyright the artist. Courtesy the artist; Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York, and Matthew Brown, Los Angeles and New York.

Above Kenturah Davis, ‘planar vessel XXVII (jada)’, 2024. Carbon pencil rubbing and debossed text on igarashi kozo paper. Four parts, each 75.6 x 75.6cm (29 3/4 x 29 3/4in) Framed: 155.3 x 155.3cm (61 1/8 x 61 1/8in). Copyright the artist. Courtesy the artist; Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York, and Matthew Brown, Los Angeles and New York.

The Wick Culture - Kenturah Davis, 'clouds VI', 2024. Carbon pencil rubbing and debossed text on igarashi kozo paper, 50.8 x 50.8cm (20 x 20in) Framed: 54 x 54cm (21 1/4 x 21 1/4in). Copyright the artist. Courtesy the artist; Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York, and Matthew Brown, Los Angeles and New York.

Above Kenturah Davis, ‘clouds VI’, 2024. Carbon pencil rubbing and debossed text on igarashi kozo paper, 50.8 x 50.8cm (20 x 20in) Framed: 54 x 54cm (21 1/4 x 21 1/4in). Copyright the artist. Courtesy the artist; Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York, and Matthew Brown, Los Angeles and New York.

Kenturah Davis: clouds

Stephen Freidman Gallery
31 May – 20 July 2024

It’s London Gallery Weekend, and galleries across the city will play host to special exhibitions, talks and events, with many opening their summer blockbuster shows to coincide with the event. At the top of our list is Kenturah Davis’ UK debut solo show, clouds, coming to Stephen Friedman Gallery. New series of drawings and carvings designed by the artist come together with an essay penned by Davis, in which she invokes the spirits of trailblazing figures, such as the choreographer Katherine Dunham, composer Florence B. Price, theorist Saidiya Hartman, author Toni Morrison, and physicist Carlo Rovelli.

Two stunning new bodies of work are portraits, on paper, and carved by Davis’ partner to her designs from ebony and ash. To make them, Davis invited black women to visit her studio and improvise movement, and took long exposure photographs. These photographic studies are translated into drawings, and on closer inspection, parts of Davis’ writing emerges, in which she details the careers of Katherine Dunham – a choreographer who infused dance with anthropology, and Florence B Price, the first Black female musician to compose for a national symphony orchestra.

A further body of work is based on Davis’ photographs of clouds – a muse and metaphor for Davis, and an anchor for this exhibition, which is all about the possibility of metamorphosis and transformation. Davis will discuss the work with Dr. Zoé Whitley on Friday 31 May at a special opening event, and the gallery will extend its opening hours all weekend.