Alonzo Davis
“Reach Out Series #5,” Collage/painting with mixed media and bamboo, 22" x 11" x 2.3"
“My art choices and worldviews have been inspired by travel and issues of social justice. Through travel, I seek influences, cultural centers, energies, new terrain and the power of both the spoken and unspoken. The magic of the Southwest United States, Brazil, Haiti and West Africa has penetrated my work. Southern California, home for thirty years, has also had an indelible impact and the colors and rhythms of the Pacific Rim continue to infiltrate.”
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Artist Statement
Alonzo Davis
My art choices and worldviews have been inspired by travel and issues of social justice. Through travel, I seek influences, cultural centers, energies, new terrain and the power of both the spoken and unspoken. The magic of the Southwest United States, Brazil, Haiti and West Africa has penetrated my work. Southern California, home for thirty years, has also had an indelible impact and the colors and rhythms of the Pacific Rim continue to infiltrate. Social justice themes most recently addressed are “He Walked in the Light,” in homage to Julian Bond, and “Targeted in the USA.”
Primarily an abstract artist, I make art for exterior and interior spaces—both large and small scale. Works range from free-standing and suspended sculptures, to wall and floor installations. Bamboo, wood and paper, layered color and burned-in patterns are my hallmarks and whenever possible LED light elements are integrated in the composition or for a backlit effect.
As a discipline, I work in series, that is, I explore a range of possibilities inherent in a given theme, medium or technique before moving on to something new. Sticking with this approach has enabled me to produce distinct bodies of related works.
“…Like a column, a single bamboo stalk is classically simple and understated. Davis arranges these as Zen-like lines at angles as a weaving or in horizontal patterns as bars of music. He then wraps these bamboo lines with the hammered copper of his past, the colors of his travels, and the consistent fabric of his vision. The result places you in the middle of the larger tapestry of the world.”
-Pattie Porter Firestone, artist
Alonzo Davis Fellowship
Announcing the awards for this year's Alonzo Davis Fellowship! Congratulations to Judy Bolton-Fasman and Crystal Z Cambell. Alonzo Davis has been on the board of directors of the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts since 2004. He established the Alonzo Davis Fellowship in 2007 - a two week fully funded residency!
"Why Have There Been No Great Black Art Dealers?" - NYTimes.com Article
A 2018 article published at nytimes.com examines the role and achievements of black artists, curators, and art dealers in the art world - including Alonzo Davis and his brother Dale, who opened Brockman Gallery in Los Angeles in 1967. Click here to read the full article.
Bamboo and LED lights