Jenelle Valentine Davenport, aka Kurokiku, Discusses Ancestry, Memory, and Myth in Singulart Interview
In an interview with Singulart Magazine on October 11, 2026, artist Jenelle Valentine Davenport, who goes by Kurokiku, shared insights into her diverse artistic practice that explores themes of ancestry, memory, displacement, and folklore. She mentioned her works "Mermaid and Companion" and "Anansi's Breath." Davenport's journey as an artist is influenced by her upbringing in Virginia, her advocacy for her mother's artistic expression, her time in Japan, and her experience raising seven children. A significant influence was her encounter with the dance group Sankai Juku in the 1980s. Presently, she is working on an art series and a novel about mother-child dynamics, featuring titles like "The Mothers Grail" and "Mother-Daughter Ethereum." As a fourth-generation Black American educator, she asserts that her heritage shapes her art and contends that AI lacks true human creativity. She operates Studio Kurokiku in Colorado.
Key facts
- Jenelle Valentine Davenport, also known as Kurokiku, was interviewed by Singulart Magazine on October 11, 2026.
- She cited "Mermaid and Companion" and "Anansi's Breath" as representative of her current practice on Singulart.
- Her influences include growing up in Virginia, living in Japan, defending her mother, and raising seven children.
- She witnessed the dance troupe Sankai Juku perform in Japanese mountain caves in the early 1980s.
- Current projects include "The Mothers Grail" (early 2000s) and "Mother-Daughter Ethereum" (c. 2018).
- She is a fourth-generation Black American educator with roots in Afrofuturism and Japanese aesthetics.
- She leads Studio Kurokiku (Black Chrysanthemum) from Colorado, a space for creative and technological inquiry.
- She coined the name Kurokiku in 1997 to merge Japanese and Black American cultural influences.
Entities
Artists
- Jenelle Valentine Davenport
- Kurokiku
Institutions
- Singulart
- Singulart Magazine
- Studio Kurokiku
- Sankai Juku
Locations
- Virginia
- United States
- Japan
- Colorado
- Africa
- Oceania
- Asia
- Europe