Devan Shimoyama (born 1989 in Philadelphia) is a contemporary African-American visual artist best known as a painter that uses mixed mediums in their work. Shimoyama's work is inspired by Black, queer, and male bodies from a personal perspective. The exploration of mythology and folklore also plays a key role in Shimoyama's work. Shimoyama uses his work to examine the intersections of race, class, gender, and sexuality within everyday life.

Early life and education

Devan Shimoyama was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

in 1989. Shimoyama was exposed to creativity at an early age as his mother studied fashion design and grandfather worked a musician. Though starting off in music as a kid, Shimoyama would later begin to take art courses as his mother noticed his talent with drawing. He attended

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

as a science major for his undergraduate degree but would later change his program of study to Drawing and Painting during his junior year. Shimoyama would later graduate with his BFA in 2011. Shimoyama was under the advisement of

Brian Alfred Brian Alfred (born 2 December 1974, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an artist based in Brooklyn, New York. Education Alfred received his Bachelors of Fine Art degree from Penn State University and his Masters of Fine Art degree from Yale Universi ...

during undergrad. He then went on to receive his MFA in Painting/Printmaking from Yale University School of Art in 2014.

Artwork, style, and influence

Devan Shimoyama's work focuses on race and sexuality. He often incorporates glitter and rhinestones into his paintings, which consist of large-scale portraits of himself, friends and acquaintances, and figures from his imagination. These characters are drawn from a wide range of sources, from men at barbershops to

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses Drag (entertainment), drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate Femininity, female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have ...

s. The materials point to drag culture and challenge traditional notions of masculinity and representations of wealth. Through his work, Shimoyama analyzes the intersections of queer culture and ways it relates to Black American culture. These aspect can often be highlighted through the usage of fur, feathers, glitter and costume jewels including rhinestones and sequins.

Solo/two person exhibitions

* 2021 – Devan Shimoyama, upcoming exhibition, Kunstpalais Erlangen,

Erlangen, Germany Erlangen (; , ) is a Middle Franconian city in Bavaria, Germany. It is the seat of the administrative district Erlangen-Höchstadt (former administrative district Erlangen), and with 119,810 inhabitants (as of 30 September 2024), it is the smalle ...

* 2018 – Cry, Baby: Devan Shimoyama curated by Jessica Beck,

The Andy Warhol Museum The Andy Warhol Museum is located on the North Shore (Pittsburgh), North Shore of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is the largest museum in North America dedicated to a single artist. The museum holds an extensive permanent co ...

, Pittsburgh, PA

Group exhibitions

* 2020 – Translating Valence: redefining black male identity, Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, MI * 2020 – Tell Me Your Story, Kunsthal KAdE, Amersfoort, Netherlands * 2019 – Getting to Know You, Cleveland Institute of Art,

Cleveland, OH Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania stat ...

* 2019 – Men of Change: Power. Triumph. Truth.,

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is a museum in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, based on the history of the Underground Railroad. Opened in 2004, the center also pays tribute to all efforts to "abolish human enslavement and secure fr ...

Cincinnati, OH Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of whic ...

* 2017 – Fictions,

Studio Museum in Harlem The Studio Museum in Harlem is an African-American art museum at 144 West 125th Street in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States. Founded in 1968, the museum collects, preserves and interprets art created by African A ...

, New York, NY * 2016 – Bedazzled, Lehman College Gallery, Bronx, NY * 2016 – Cultural Landscapes, The Fed Galleries at KCAD,

Grand Rapids, MI Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the second-most populous city in Michigan. The Gran ...

* 2016 – Introspective, BravinLee Programs, New York, NY * 2015 – UNLOADED, Northern Illinois University Art Museum, Dekalb, IL * 2015 – Realities in Contemporary Video Art, Screening, Fondation des Etats Unis, Paris

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shimoyama, Devan 21st-century American painters Carnegie Mellon University faculty 1989 births Artists from Philadelphia Living people