BRENDEN DAVIS

In an era where the contemplation of Black American experience demands both historical accountability and radical imagination, NEW HISTORY brings together four emerging Mississippi-based artists whose work challenges us to reimagine the narrative of Black life in America—past, present, and future.

Jonathan Buckley (JBUCK) explores identity and history through a vibrant visual language influenced by masters from Matisse to Basquiat, while Kwasi Butler's paintings serve as emotional documents of the artist's journey, using color as a vehicle for vulnerability and connection. Ava Davis delves into the deep interconnectedness of Black relationships across physical and spiritual realms, examining heritage and collective memory through painting, sculpture, and mixed media. Brenden Davis's multidisciplinary practice constructs surreal dreamscapes that reframe societal perceptions through abstract figures and imaginative worlds.

NEW HISTORY is more than an exhibition—it is an act of reclamation and reimagining. These works interrogate the complexities of lived experience while boldly envisioning liberated futures. Through storytelling, both personal and collective, these artists demonstrate how the past informs our present while illuminating pathways to possible futures, inviting viewers to engage with history not as a fixed narrative, but as a living document that we continuously rewrite through our actions, our art, and our dreams.