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SLEEPLESS
Spooky Harris has 24 hours to make a show
Opening Reception: July 27, 6PM - 9PM
Closing Reception: July 27, 6PM - 9PM
Show runs from July 27 through July 27, 2024
Curated by Meghan DeRoma and Amelie Laurice
Dorado 806 Projects is thrilled to present Spooky Harris’s “Sleepless” as our inaugural 24-Hour Residency Artist in Residence.
Spooky will receive the keys (read: the walls) to the gallery at noon on Friday, and he will have until noon on Saturday to create a show that opens at 6p. (He gets a few hours to nap, it’s only fair, right?)
Humans have a wildly varied relationship with time. Hustle culture pushes and meditation practice pulls. Whether we decide it or go for a ride, we can bend time or bend to its will. The days are long and the years fly by. And this is all a construct that we adhere to, abide by, relate to, succumb to. But what if we could wield it? What magic is to be found in joining in the play of time?
Dave Spooky Harris is a self-taught, outsider artist working in Redondo Beach, California. His work focuses on life and death, good and evil, and the transparency between those elements.
Harris’s work is celebrated for pushing artistic boundaries with its captivating mixture of humor, wit, and the macabre. Transitioning from a background in theatre and television, he has emerged as a prominent figure in the vibrant art scenes of Los Angeles, New York City, and Joshua Tree, encouraging audiences to embrace the unconventional and discover humor in the shadows. Known for his unique black-and-white pieces that skillfully blend pop culture with irreverence, Harris also creates striking large-scale ultra-bright abstract figuratives. Through his spontaneous and introspective processes, he delves into personal narratives of self-discovery, trauma, conquests, and the nuances of everyday life, believing in the beauty seen from a distance and aiming to provide healing and insight to viewers. Recently featured on the cover of South Bay Magazine, Spooky was praised for already making “an indelible mark on the canvas of contemporary art.”
Spooky
Harris
Artist Statement
I paint to clarify, connect, and now to pay my way through. I am self-taught, starting as an annoying doodler — often admonished by teachers (rightfully so) for notes that contain no useful information whatsoever.
My work is split into two practices, one characterized by black-and-white pieces inspired by literature and wordplay, and the other being large-scale bright-colored memory paintings in which I seek to honestly interpret the way memory works and the truths we show to ourselves through recalling experiences. In both practices, I invite viewers to explore hidden messages within the layers of imagery. The themes of nostalgia, humor, love, longing, and darkness coexist, in which I seek to create dynamic tension. My process is spontaneous and introspective, often starting with a blank canvas and evolving organically.
In exhibitions from Los Angeles to New York, and through collaborations with diverse artistic entities, my journey underscores the power of taking risks and embracing the unknown. My art is a narrative of self-discovery, inviting others to find beauty within the unconventional and humor in the darkness.
My process is memory based; childhood trauma, adult self-inflicted twilight zones, horrors, conquests, love, and the everyday tremors of life — and through my camera, my belief that everything is beautiful if you step far enough away from it, is both healing for me and I hope to audiences.
I’m a true believer, a lover, and every age at once. Thirsty, free, and just getting started.
DORADO 806 PROJECTS 806 BROADWAY, SANTA MONICA, CA 90401