Artist Keilley Banks at Homecoming. All photos by Dagny Edwards. 

DETOX Gallery’s Homecoming

I often feel apprehension when met with the names galleries give their shows: they’re either too nebulous, too niche, or simply too thought-out for the art world’s requisite level of nonchalance. But when I stepped into DETOX Gallery’s opening on Thursday night, Homecoming wasn’t just a clever designation—for several reasons, it was the obvious choice.

The gallery space, situated in a Tribeca loft reachable only by elevator or a narrow, unlit staircase, was a botanical haven bathed in pink LED lights. Against the window, plants aimed ceilingward, easing the viewer into a gallery setting teeming with life. Many of the artists stood proudly by their works, entertaining visitors and talking with their hands, motioning toward an outstretched arm or a sculptural rendering. The enticing scent of Indonesian food, courtesy of Jakarta Munch, further cemented a homelike atmosphere as the delicious dishes were prepared, steaming and from scratch, right before my eyes.

Keilley Banks had her back to the crowd as she worked intently on a six-foot canvas depicting curious faces in realist form. I asked her what she focuses on in her art, and she decisively responded, “Identity.” She later explained that, having moved around multiple times during her childhood, she turned to art as a way both to express her identity and to discover it. Coming from a mixed family, she said, often left her scrambling for who she was, particularly given her upbringing in multiple contexts, from New Jersey to rural Virginia to Florida, and finally back to New York City. Now, she focuses on channeling her experiences into large-scale portraiture that feels poignant, pensive, and firm in communicating one’s identity.

While I don’t always fall at the feet of work that depicts mirror selfies ad nauseam, I applauded Caroline Liebman’s fresh take on the female form; especially within the Instagram aspect ratio, her choices of bright colors and textured skin tones and her understanding of geometric proportions were pleasant surprises. Her commitment to detail shone through in her work, much of which depicts women in their underwear at home. Liebman’s work begs an intriguing question about public intimacy, or the action of enjoying a private evening at home, stripped down to one’s underwear, only to post a photo for the world to see. What does this say about DETOX’s theme of Homecoming, and what does that mean in our daily lives—in underwear, at home, on Instagram?

Impressed as I was by the work of Banks and Liebman, I dug my heels in slightly at the overall curatorial approach. While some artists’ collections felt apt and dignified in the space, other corners of the room felt more rudimentary, like the mixed-media section of a high school art show. This feeling wasn’t due to the quality of the work, necessarily, but arose as more of a curatorial curiosity. I would have preferred to see fewer artists showcasing a more evolved exhibit than many jammed together in more of a hodgepodge.

As far as DETOX’s mission statement, which prioritizes the democratization of high-echelon art space to feature up-and-coming artists from diverse backgrounds, the gallery succeeds in many ways. Many artists, all of diverse backgrounds, were featured, and many for the first time. Conversations were lively and art-focused. People sipped beer and wore buckled boots. Homecoming had a good turnout, but maybe it lived up to its name too much: the from-scratch food tasted great, but much of the art itself felt homemade—the on-Mom’s-fridge kind of homemade. And while the artists were friendly and enthusiastic and we all seemed to take it seriously, that insular mutuality just sometimes isn’t enough within the art world’s rigid webbings. In order for DETOX to dominate in the way it ought to, given its commitment to diversity and equity, the gallery must dig deep curatorially to beat the art world at its own game.

   
Homecoming. 

Keep up with DETOX Gallery here.