ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

DeShawn Dumas Prepares Debut Solo Show at Janet Kurnatowski Gallery with Abstract Diamond Paintings

exhibition · 2026-04-22

DeShawn Dumas is set to showcase his inaugural solo exhibition, titled 'Future Primitive,' at the Janet Kurnatowski Gallery in Brooklyn, running from May 31 to June 30, 2013. His artwork features abstract diamond-shaped pieces known as 'vehicles,' crafted from materials such as chiffon, fiberglass, steel, and pages from the King James Bible. Dumas began his artistic career at Indiana University but found conventional education restrictive. A pivotal 2005 exhibition during Hurricane Katrina prompted him to incorporate non-art materials, while the 2006 Israeli/Lebanon conflict led him to burn some of his paintings. Between 2008 and 2010, he concentrated on themes of fire and hands in a Washington Heights basement. Influences on his work include Henry Ossawa Tanner and Jeff Koons. Dumas resides in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, and creates on Flushing Avenue.

Key facts

  • DeShawn Dumas's debut solo exhibition 'Future Primitive' runs May 31-June 30, 2013 at Janet Kurnatowski Gallery in Brooklyn
  • His diamond-shaped abstract paintings incorporate materials like chiffon, fiberglass, steel, vinyl, flour, coffee, sugar, and Bible pages
  • Dumas studied at Indiana University and Pratt's MFA program, starting in 2010
  • He was influenced by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the Israeli/Lebanon war in 2006, leading to burnt landscapes
  • From 2008-2010, he worked without brushes or paint in a Washington Heights basement
  • His work references Henry Ossawa Tanner, Anselm Kiefer, Wassily Kandinsky, and Jeff Koons
  • Dumas uses veils over burnt canvases to create duration, as in 'The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth (as they are buried beneath it)' (2013)
  • Raised Pentecostal, his art explores eschatology and contradictions like dread and attraction

Entities

Artists

  • DeShawn Dumas
  • Henry Ossawa Tanner
  • Anselm Kiefer
  • Jeff Koons
  • Wassily Kandinsky
  • LaToya Ruby Frazier

Institutions

  • Janet Kurnatowski Gallery
  • Indiana University
  • Pratt

Locations

  • Brooklyn
  • New York
  • United States
  • Clinton Hill
  • Flushing Avenue
  • Washington Heights
  • Moscow
  • Russia
  • Dubai
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Times Square

Sources