Noah Davis retrospective at Barbican explores mythical social realism through Black American experience

A retrospective exhibition of Noah Davis's work is on view at the Barbican in London through May 11, 2025. Davis, who died in 2015 at age 32, developed a distinctive painterly language blending social realism with mythical elements. His work frequently addressed Black American experience, vulnerability, and everyday life. Early paintings like 40 Acres and a Unicorn (2007) and Bad Boy For Life (2007) established his allegorical approach to racial politics and social stereotypes. Davis experimented with various artistic influences, from Marlene Dumas to Leipzig School painters, before settling on a realist style edged with fantasy. Works like Isis (2009), depicting his wife Karon, and the 1975 series based on his mother's photographs emphasize intimacy and community. The exhibition includes Pueblo del Rio: Arabesque (2014), which references housing projects designed by architect Paul Revere Williams. Davis co-founded the Underground Museum in Arlington Heights in 2012, where he presented Imitation of Wealth (2013), featuring recreated works by artists like Dan Flavin and Jeff Koons. Later paintings such as Painting for My Dad (2011) and Untitled (2015) confront themes of solitude and mortality. The show reveals an artist who viewed painting as an accessible legacy while creating enduring images of ordinary life.