The artworks in this digital installation center around artist David Orrell’s personal experiences as a Black queer man growing up in Newark.

Orrell’s art is rooted in a practice that explores the beauty and vitality of the Black figure. By exploring themes of intimacy and identity, both individually and culturally, Orrell’s work encompasses the complexities of Blackness. At its core, Orrell’s work is a character study of himself, taking into consideration the intersectionality of collective memory and restorative imagination–balancing what was, is, and could be as he continues a legacy of Black portraiture.

In partnership with: David Orrell