GIANTS

NEW YORK
June 30 - August 5, 2022

SELECTED WORKS

PRESS RELEASE

NEW YORK, NY | albertz benda is thrilled to present Devon DeJardin: Giants, the artist's first solo show in New York, on view from June 30 to August 5, 2022. In Giants, DeJardin constructs a narrative from abstract forms that draws on the literary tradition of spiritual allegory to interrogate and revitalize familiar myths.

 Inspired by his longtime study of spiritual traditions from around the world, DeJardin refers to his voluminous geometric subjects as “Guardians”: non-theological figures of guidance and protection. In previous works, DeJardin’s Guardians were solitary figures, in dialogue only with the viewer. In Giants, DeJardin introduces a new dynamic between the Guardians, placing them in conversation with each other to elicit themes of introspection, growth, and resilience.

In Giants are not what we think they are, 2022, an imposing Guardian towers over its smaller twin, referencing David and Goliath. Appearing in various forms in religious and spiritual traditions around the world, the David and Goliath story is often misinterpreted as an unlikely champion defeating a seemingly undefeatable adversary. In fact, Goliath is thought by scholars to have been crippled by acromegaly, a rare disorder that can cause vision impairments among other physical afflictions. Lacking coordination and weighed down by heavy armor, Goliath is much weaker than he appears and is easily defeated by the clear aim of David’s slingshot. DeJardin brings this narrative full circle in Confrontation, 2022, in which two Guardians appear equal in size—a seemingly insurmountable challenge transforms into a much less intimidating foe.

DeJardin’s latest body of work not only interrogates narrative complexity, but also expands his artistic vocabulary. Ranging from intimate portraits to large-scale tableaux, the exhibition culminates with a monumental bronze sculpture — the first that the artist has created at this scale. The evolution of his sculptural practice is reflected in his treatment of the paint on canvas. These new works feature an unparalleled depth of forms, rendered with a precision that at times belies the presence of an artist’s hand.