Nov. 11–Dec. 18, 2021
Day & Night Projects is proud to present Shame Faces, a solo exhibition by North Georgia artist and Reinhardt University professor Jym Davis. The artist’s elaborate papier-mâché masks, with their play on the colors of the American flag, and design motifs from diagrams of prisons and border detention centers, evoke the political and social caricatures of carnival masquerades from around the world. But Davis links these to a different tradition and purpose—the medieval European practice of schandmaskes—where “shame masks” were imposed on the wearer as a social punishment. Davis’s purpose here is not to humiliate the village glutton, but to point out a distorted pride, to check an American exceptionalism that justifies all sins in its name.
While Davis’s mask-making precedes our global pandemic by nearly a decade, these artworks confirm the power of the mask as a device for protection, insecurity, obfuscation, and revelation.
Shame Faces will open with a socially-distanced reception on Thursday, Nov. 11, 6–9pm. Viewing hours are Fridays and Saturdays,12–5pm, or by appointment. The exhibition will also be available for view as photos on our website daynightprojects.art, including the option to purchase artworks on our online store. Due to COVID-19 pandemic, Day & Night Projects will implement the following precautions to limit transmission of the virus: Visitors must be vaccinated. Masks will be required indoors. Our garage door will be open in good weather to increase air circulation. Refreshments will be served outside. Hand sanitizer will be provided. All high-touch surfaces will be cleaned every hour.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Jym Davis is an Associate Professor of Art at Reinhardt University. His recent exhibitions include Feinkunst-Krueger gallery in Germany, Treat Gallery in NYC, and a solo show in Nashville. His work has been featured by The National Endowment for the Arts, Hi-Fructose Magazine, and Juxtapoz Magazine. Since 2016, Davis has been an official National Park Artist-In-Resident five times: Big Cypress Preserve in Florida, Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona, Lassen Volcanic National Park in California, Craters of the Moon Monument in Idaho, and Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico. He spent the summer of 2021 in the Nevada desert, living and creating work at The Mystery Ranch outside of Las Vegas. Davis is also known for his inspirational art Instagram account FALSE FACE which has 170 thousand followers. Visit jymdavis.com for more information.
For more information on Shame Faces, the artist, or sales inquiries, please contact Steven L. Anderson at info@daynightprojects.art or call 404-623-7289.
