긴장 (that’s why I get so tired now)
Seventh Gallery, Melbourne, AUS
November 22-December 14, 2018

Curated by Nanette Orly
 

The title of this exhibition is derivative of a real-life conversation Davenport has had with her mother. It references a tension, the inability to relax and the pressure placed upon her family to defy social constructs that surround Blackness in a country that adheres to and reveres white ideals. This tension – this 긴장 (ginjang) – is explored through various mediums in Davenport’s artistic practice. She has created her own unique framework of self, one that resists categorization and is explored using her own body, hair as a proxy for her body, text and language. In sharing her experiences, Davenport attempts to debunk national and racial constructs that seek to exotify and disjoin Black and Asian camaraderie and states that we are more akin than we have been led to live and believe.

Critical writing:
Forging cross-cultural coalitions: a refusal of white supremacy by Chloé Hazelwood