Current/Upcoming Exhibition Season 2024-2025

David Wesley White: Performance Politics

by |Published

/PERFORMANCE POLITICS

David Wesley White

ArtsWorcester at the Davis Art Gallery

October 3 - November 17, 2024

The meticulously crafted sculptures, videos, and performances of David Wesley White present a surreal story of politics in the United States. American Presidents are an elusive cast of characters, subject to both scrutiny and worship. In an experimental and exaggerated approach to presidential mythology and imagery, White questions whether the intention of public service will always fall victim to a cult of personality and thirst for power. The installation warns of a dystopian political future ruled by money, AI, and nostalgic masculinity.

Repurposing common household items, vintage objects, and theatrical supplies, White explores symbols and archetypes of the American presidency and highlights normalized absurdities of this history. Oversized quill pens, exaggerated headwear, and sculptural caricatures are amongst the many objects that invite a closer look at the aesthetics of leadership, regardless of political affiliation.

/ABOUT THE ARTIST

David Wesley White

David Wesley White is a multimedia conceptual artist, born and raised in Worcester County, Massachusetts. He earned a BFA from Parsons School of Design and an MFA from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Guided by the queer experience and the existential plight of politics, White uses his practice to find nuggets of humor and beauty inside a continuum of American violence. His work has been exhibited and awarded in Massachusetts, New York City, and Southern California, notably at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Santa Barbara and the Fitchburg Art Museum. He currently teaches classes at the Worcester Art Museum, emphasizing sculpture, concept, and performance.

To see more of White’s work, visit davidwesleywhite.com or follow @davidweswhite on Instagram.

/EXHIBITED WORKS

All-American Cowboy

Wrangler cowboy shirt, jeans, used wool socks, leather “Hyper Tough” work gloves, bandana, PBR beer cans, wig, polyester resin

2024




Cherry Tree (The first cut is the deepest)

digital performance collage printed on canvas, gold frame, stick, Martha Stewart topiary ball, red pom-poms, wire, dad’s axe, costumes, red velvet

2024




Cowboy Hat and Bolo Tie

cowhide, suede cord, flexible fabric glue, masking tape, thread, nylon cord scorpion belt buckle, rope, electrical tape

2024




Dead Presidents

video, 0:10:30

2024




Declassified (Do your duty)

bedsheets, polyester batting, inkjet ink, cloth medical tape, thread, wood rolling pin

2024




Earshot

rubber costume ear, gemstones, glass beads, red paint

2024




Foreign Policy (Bend the Knee)

styrofoam, Ultraflex 1 tile mortar, cement colorant, hand restored antique desk, aluminum vase, graphite, oil, rubber tube, thin brick, cork board, salt, sand, wood shards, driveway debris

2024




Gold Coin (Vote replica)

lazy Susan, gold paint

2024




History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce

wood porch columns, architectural pediment, antique wringer, wood cut letters, Tiger Tales Toys plush bald eagle, half-moon claw-foot table, wood, stain, Palais White Behr house paint, king-sized waffle blanket, oil paint, thread, curtain scrap, reference image of pre-colonial Washington D.C., land of the Anacostans

2024




Lincoln’s Hat (Sweet dreams)

Peloton bike mat, nylon string, flexible shoe glue, black cord, red velvet, gemstones, glass beads, American flag, memory foam pillow

2024




New Deal Sound Mazuma

vintage towels, thread

2021




Old-Timer

pinstripe suit, red neck tie, dress socks, black gloves, old-man mask, patent leather dress shoes, wood dowels, super glue, polyester stuffing, cedar shoe trees, polyester resin

2024




Oval Office ASMR

video on clear prison monitor, $10,000 stolen from the Oval Office

2019




Patriot

trench coat, khaki pants, long-johns, white socks, white gloves, vintage shirt, feathers, old man mask, polyester resin, feather quill

2024




Political Paraphernalia

Performance artifacts

2024




Powdered Wig

skull cap, wool rope, fabric scraps, flex foam fusible stabilizer, nylon thread, satin ribbon

2024




The Power of the Pen

fabric, flex foam fusible stabilizer, nylon thread, canvas, felt, pleather, water launchers, spray paint, epoxy, glass vase, oil, tempera paint, sheetrock, Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 of the United States Consitution

2024




Untitled (light speech)

video on Telescript presidential monitors

2024




Warmonger

dad’s snowsuit, army Halloween mask, teal synthetic rope, black cotton gloves, wool Dickies socks, folded socks, polyester resin

2024




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