DIMIN is excited to present Devoraste, a neon diary of the vivid exploits of Destiny Haven Trujillo. For her first solo exhibition in New York, Trujillo embodies the manic charm of her daily life, offering a voyeuristic glimpse into the contemporary vie boheme. The title of the show, “Devoraste”, is derived from the Spanish aphorism meant to convey the concept of unabashed queer self-expression, with the literal translation “you ate that!”. For Trujillo, devoraste references the celebration of pride she conveys in her paintings –colorful bacchanals teeming with joy.
At its core, the work addresses sexual identity and fluidity. The acceptance she has found in the queer community is tantamount in importance to the artist personally as it is to her artistic concept. Approachability is one of the major goals of Trujillo’s canvases – her goal is to welcome the broadest audience possible.
Trujillo’s vivid imagery is accentuated by dramatic color blocking, reminiscent of the color field painters. The subtle outlines of objects and figures in Any Way You Like It, 2021 harken back to the compositional stylings of the Abstract Expressionists, especially as illustration aids the transformation of object to abstraction. Trujillo also finds affinity in the personal iconography of the late Pop painter R.B. Kitaj, perhaps most notorious for his manifesto on being a Jew in diaspora. “In one painting, Kitaj suckles at her breast; in another, he grabs beneath her dress. In some, Kitaj resembles Moses, other times Freud…” Tom Teicholz’s words published in the Jewish Journal (2003) are easily comparable to Trujillo’s “Devoraste.”
Trujillo’s tableaux embody the rebellious, haphazard spirit of the community in which she flourishes. Each painting is a love letter to this coterie, standing as memento and homage. Before moving to New York in 2016, Trujillo lived in a small town in New Mexico where her struggle to assimilate was compounded by bipolar disorder and depression. New York fulfilled the similitude she had been seeking, in her own words “a place where no one gives a shit.” Her art represents the ultimate exhale of self and a reflection of freedom long sought.
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Destiny Haven Trujillo (b. 1994, New Mexico, United States) received her BFA in 2016 from the University of New Mexico. In 2022, she had a solo exhibition with Smoke the Moon in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.
Opening Reception: Thursday, June 1st from 6-8 pm.