Devin Troy Strother
‚They Should’ve Never Given You Niggas Money‘

Santa Monica

‘They Should’ve Never Given You Niggas Money’, while originally being a Dave Chapelle sketch sentence, is the title of the new Devin Troy Strother show at the Richard Heller Gallery. The Los Angeles-based artist delves into dominant contemporary imagery such as bananas, neon and African American stereotypical way to success.

Through its appellation the exhibition makes a clear statement on the often claimed incapacity younger African American generations encounter when coming across a serious amount of money. As an open announcement, the title widens the topic to an expansive audience discussion.

‚They Should’ve Never Given You Niggas Money’ is forging a bond in between painting and installation in the artists’ corpus. The entire exhibition space is reclaimed and converted into an ongoing symbols exploration. Floor, walls and ceiling are covered with Strother’s iconic ‘Niggas smiling in the black’ faces while neon installations gleam on the walls and sculptures cover the floor. The result is an absolute installation oeuvre in which each pieces complement each other while transcending the artist’s visual vocabulary.

Devin Troy Strother Lemme get a fade #1, 2015, 36 x 36 x 5 Inches, Neon

Devin Troy Strother Bitch on the Beach, 2015, 42 x 42 x 5.5 Inches, Neon

Devin Troy Strother Installation View: „They should’ve never given you niggas money“ 2015

Devin Troy Strother Installation View: „They should’ve never given you niggas money“ 2015

Devin Troy Strother

Richard Heller Gallery

October 24 – December 19, 2015

2525 Michigan Ave. #B-5A
Santa Monica, CA 90404
USA

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