Artist Bio
Brantley implements self-portraiture and psychology within his work and is inspired by the dissociative behaviors that happen because of trauma and the repetition involved with these experiences. “I guide the audience through my own narratives involving experiences of colorism, racial stereotyping, and meditations on death, life, sexuality and masculinity,” says the artist. “Through the use of my own image, the viewer is presented with images of someone who is not themselves, who may or may not share the same experiences as them and someone who is actively disrupting expectations based on identity.”
In 2018 Davon received his B.F.A from the Cleveland Institute of Art in Drawing. Davon has gone on to having exhibited/curated in places such as: Bay Arts, The Museum of Contemporary Art (Cleveland), CAN Triennial, The Morgan Conservatory, Indianapolis Arts Center, The Artists Archives of the Western Reserve, The Museum of Creative Human Art and many more. Davon has also been able to work with community organizations in Cleveland such as The Museum of Creative Human Art , Graffiti HeArt and has also furthered his investigations in Printmaking with DeepDive Art projects and the Cleveland Institute of Art. He has also participated in mural activities and being an advocate for getting the arts into younger artists vision.
Artist Statement
I utilize self-portraiture and psychology within my work. I am inspired by the dissociative behaviors that happen as a result of certain experiences and the repetition involved with those experiences. Through Drawings, Paintings and other media; My work focuses on how these experiences can cause inner conflicts and a deeper investigation of self. These inner conflicts can influence your relationships with family, friends, loves, and meditations on sexuality, masculinity, race and etc,. I lead the audience through my mind as if they were watching a play , utilizing dramatic compositions, absurd realism and characters that act out certain emotions and themes in which I play all of the roles. Through larger than life-sized scaled pieces , I present a glimpse inside of my mental landscape and inhabitants ; finding a ground for what is invisible that bleeds into my waking world.