Maya Davis-Stokes at Stryx
Welcome back Freddos to a long overdue blog entry, I hope you find as much interest reading about Maya's work as I did seeing it in person. I took time to look beyond the canvas, observing her work conceptually and realised why I initially related so much to her practice, it resonates with the both of us that even things considered ugly can be or rather are, beautiful.
This philosophical endeavor stems from an artist that inspires Maya, Marlene Dumas, who's work confronts the boundary between beauty and ugliness. It's this tug of war between the two that significally drives her process.
Stryx, located in Birminghams Jewellery Quarter, showcases her most recent works from the year so far. The show is paired with the cutest café so if you can get there before the 30th March, swing by and indulge in a sweet treat. I'm talking about the exhibition when referring to a sweet treat alright? But desserts too, obviously.
I was curious to know how Maya got to where she is now, what was it that drew her to portraiture? How was it that she discovered her process? Why did she decide on painting without looking at the canvas? What is it about distortion that she's fascinated by? And how have people reacted to this through her work?
Maya says 'As a high masking Autistic person who always felt like an outsider, I was always drawn to portraiture in a way to subconsciously try to understand other people and myself. My process of drawing distorted faces started as a sketchbook exercise to try and loosen up, it quickly became a daily practice and I began to think of the implications of only looking at things from one angle and how easily they can distort. In the age we are in with social media echo chambers and algorithms only feeding us opinions that we agree with and not the other side, we lose balance and we often see a distorted view of reality.'
'The way other people react to my work is very mixed. When I participated in Birmingham Open Studios in September, a woman got quite upset with me saying my paintings are sad and asked why I don't paint pretty landscapes. Most people do seem to understand the importance of the subject matter I work with and it sparks conversation. I think balance and tension are important things in Art'
There is so much to unpack within her work, it's so personal to her experience as a Jewish woman in the UK. In this piece specifically, there are many visual indicators that reflect this. It pulls on a story of a woman named Esther, who had to conceal her Jewish identity as a way to protect herself against Antisemitism. Maya has spoken on how in certain spaces she hasn't felt safe and as a result, has had conceal her own identity due to the conflict in the Middle East. She has brought the story into the modern day with herself as the protagonist. It's artwork surrounding themes such as this one that are vital in provoking conversation, it's a great tool in educating a wider group of people. The work enables an audience with potentially opposing views to connect with the work on a human level, as her own lived experience is intertwined into it.
There is an intense use of colour, which I always gravitate towards. The dripping paint that comes from a fully soaked brush. As you first walk in the scale dominates a large proportion of the gallery walls, you can't help but notice their impact. I confess, I am bias, I can't help it, I favour paintings of a larger scale due to my own way of working. A bigger surface delivers in a way that a smaller surface just can't. Both shine in their own right of course but the concept and expressive nature of her work demands it, which I don't think would translate as successfully if they were considerably smaller. Overall, I was really impressed.
I enjoy getting up close and personal with a painting, it's at this point where you discover the human presence within it. You can see that her process holds a lot of expressive movement. There's passion, both visually and conceptually, translated incandescently into her finished pieces. There is temptation to be found in piecing together the distortion, you can't help but try to make sense of it but you should instead, pull back and see them for what they are. Beautiful.
If you don't take my word for it then get yourself to Stryx, see for yourself.
