On View presents images from noteworthy exhibitions
Installation view of DIEDRICK BRACKENS, “forks of the creek,” 2023 (cotton and acrylic yarn, 86 x 156 inches), “Diedrick Brackens: blood compass,” Jack Shainman Gallery, 46 Lafayette Street, New York, N.Y., 2024. | © Diedrick Brackens. Courtesy the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York
THE WOVEN TAPESTRIES of Diedrick Brackens (b. 1989) evince painted canvases. He foregrounds his subjects against dynamic backdrops unifying narrative images with painterly techniques and rigorous attention to detail. Blending figuration, abstraction, and storytelling, he has developed a visual language all his own employing a recurring series of shapes, symbols, natural elements, and human and animal forms. His poetic scenes explore a variety of themes, including African American and queer identity, American history, and the artist’s personal experience.
Los Angeles-based Brackens was born in Mexia, Texas. “Diedrick Brackens: blood compass,” his latest exhibition at Jack Shainman is spread across two spaces, on view at the gallery’s Chelsea and Tribeca locations in New York City.
Eighteen works made between 2019 and 2024 are presented. Brackens is often inspired by literature. Some of the featured weavings reference Octavia E. Butler’s “Mind of My Mind” (1977), a science fiction novel in which “a daughter fights her immortal father for control of the world”; “How you might approach a foal,” a poem by Wendy Videlock; and the Parable of the Prodigal Son from the Bible, a tale of unconditional love, a lesson about redemption. CT
“Diedrick Brackens: blood compass” is on view at Jack Shainman Gallery in Chelsea (513 West 20th Street), from April 25-June 1, 2024, and Tribeca (46 Lafayette Street), from April 26-May 24, 2024
TRIBECA
Installation view of “Diedrick Brackens: blood compass,” Jack Shainman Gallery, 46 Lafayette Street, New York, N.Y., 2024. Shown, “forks of the creek,” 2023 (cotton and acrylic yarn, 86 x 156 inches). | © Diedrick Brackens. Courtesy the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York
Installation view of DIEDRICK BRACKENS, “how to approach a foal,” 2024 (cotton and acrylic yarn, 105 x 105 inches (approximately), “Diedrick Brackens: blood compass,” Jack Shainman Gallery, 46 Lafayette Street, New York, N.Y., 2024. | © Diedrick Brackens. Courtesy the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York
Installation view of “Diedrick Brackens: blood compass,” Jack Shainman Gallery, 46 Lafayette Street, New York, N.Y., 2024. Shown, “forks of the creek,” 2023 (cotton and acrylic yarn, 86 x 156 inches). | © Diedrick Brackens. Courtesy the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York
Installation view of DIEDRICK BRACKENS, “summer somewhere (for Danez),” 2020 (woven cotton and acrylic yarn, 100 x 105 inches), “Diedrick Brackens: blood compass,” Jack Shainman Gallery, 46 Lafayette Street, New York, N.Y., 2024. | © Diedrick Brackens. Courtesy the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York
Installation view of “Diedrick Brackens: blood compass,” Jack Shainman Gallery, 46 Lafayette Street, New York, N.Y., 2024. Shown, “forks of the creek,” 2023 (cotton and acrylic yarn, 86 x 156 inches). | © Diedrick Brackens. Courtesy the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York
CHELSEA
Installation view of DIEDRICK BRACKENS, “flames and familiars,” 2023 (cotton and acrylic yarn, 98 x 296 inches (overall), “Diedrick Brackens, blood compass,” 2024, Jack Shainman Gallery, 513 W. 20th Street, New York, N.Y. | © Diedrick Brackens. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York
Installation view of DIEDRICK BRACKENS, “towards the greenest place on earth,” 2023 (cotton and acrylic year, 83 x 83 inches), “Diedrick Brackens, blood compass,” 2024, Jack Shainman Gallery, 513 W. 20th Street, New York, N.Y. | © Diedrick Brackens. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York
Installation view of “Diedrick Brackens, blood compass,” 2024, Jack Shainman Gallery, 513 W. 20th Street, New York, N.Y. | © Diedrick Brackens. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York. Photo by Dan Bradica Studio
Installation view of DIEDRICK BRACKENS, “favorable conditions,” 2023 (cotton and acrylic yarn, 105 x 105 inches), “Diedrick Brackens, blood compass,” 2024, Jack Shainman Gallery, 513 W. 20th Street, New York, N.Y. | © Diedrick Brackens. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York
Installation view of “Diedrick Brackens, blood compass,” 2024, Jack Shainman Gallery, 513 W. 20th Street, New York, N.Y. | © Diedrick Brackens. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York. Photo by Dan Bradica Studio
Installation view of DIEDRICK BRACKENS, “mind of my mind,” 2024 (cotton and acrylic yarn, 87 x 87 inches), “Diedrick Brackens, blood compass,” 2024, Jack Shainman Gallery, 513 W. 20th Street, New York, N.Y.| © Diedrick Brackens. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York
Installation view of “Diedrick Brackens, blood compass,” 2024, Jack Shainman Gallery, 513 W. 20th Street, New York, N.Y. | © Diedrick Brackens. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York. Photo by Dan Bradica Studio
Installation view of DIEDRICK BRACKENS, “prodigal,” 2023 (cotton and acrylic yarn, 101 x 99 inches), “Diedrick Brackens, blood compass,” 2024, Jack Shainman Gallery, 513 W. 20th Street, New York, N.Y. | © Diedrick Brackens. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York
FIND MORE about Diedrick Brackens on his website and Instagram
BOOKSHELF
“Diedrick Brackens: darling divined” documents the artist’s 2019 exhibition at the New Museum, his first solo museum show in New York. “Mind of My Mind,” a science fiction novel published by Octavia E. Butler in 1977, is among the literary works that have inspired the work of Brackens. “Made in L.A. 2018” documents the Hammer Museum biennial in Los Angeles and features contributions by co-curators Erin Christovale and Anne Ellegood. The exhibition featured 33 artists, including Brackens.
