Devon Reiffer
Art conveys what it feels like to be human. Though each of our stories are different, our connection to the experience makes us the same. Each person wants to be seen, accepted, and loved for the human that they are. Every person has a story and their story matters. I am an artist for social change. I use layers of charcoal, gesso, and acrylic paint to create space to find the overlap of our differences. My goal is to make the viewer realize that we’re not so different. I merge traditional techniques with non-traditional concepts. My art practice creates undefinable gray areas both visually and conceptually. These hybrids of paintings and drawings are monochromatic figurative drawings that share the stories and identities within LGBTQIA+ communities. While the process and content within the layers are complex and continuously evolve, the message reflected in every work is simple: the world was and will never be black and white, every existence falls somewhere in between, a unique shade of gray, each with a purpose that contributes to the overall picture.
Recently, I’ve been exploring ways to depict the concept of what we are beyond our physicality. We are human, we are souls, and our experience here is a form of being in-between the two, another gray area. I’m sharing a more personal narrative in this series. By using color and abstraction in combination with my black and white figurative style, I’m learning to express varying perspectives of the human experience of my “soul”. Layers of magic, destruction, and “aliveness” exist in each piece. I present vulnerabilty so that others feel safe to be vulnerable in return.
I’m in a place of transition where two different styles are merging to create the next chapter. I want to push the boundaries of story telling to create more depth in what we see. My intention is to make the viewer “feel” my work before logically processing it. Emotion is what gives us our humanity. If we could see through our hearts rather than our eyes, we would live in peace. I create a safe space where love, self-love, and feeling seen can be experienced.
I believe love is our natural essence, the place within us that is made of stars. As I continue to translate the soul experience on canvas, I remind the viewer that we all come from the same place. Before social constructs brainwashed society to believe one’s gender, sexual orientation, or one’s physical identity determined the value of human life, there was oneness. Underneath generations of societal disconnect, art in all forms, is the way back to that oneness. Art, in every form, has the ability to create connection that changes the world.
