A white SUV lies overturned on a snowy beach at dusk, surrounded by dark wolves or dogs. The sky glows with vivid pink and blue hues above a forested shoreline, creating a surreal and ominous atmosphere with layered, painterly treatment.

Hello Darkness My Old Friend

Davin Watne

3/24/2023 – 5/3/2023

In his new exhibition, Hello Darkness My Old Friend,  Davin Watne presents two bodies of work that explore the concept of darkness - both the physical absence of natural light and the feeling of deep foreboding. Darkness is explored as an emotional state, a physical space, and a cultural signifier. 

“There seems to be a nervous uncertainty about the future during this time of recovery. Our collective defenses are down as we have come to terms with our incredible nakedness toward the forces of circumstance. We commune once again with the wisdom that darkness holds. We try our best to decrypt its messages. Only when our eyes adjust and our pupils widen do we see what we need to move forward.” - Davin Watne

The first series located in the northeast gallery examines contemporary news media. Through many painted layers, Watne recreates fractured news studio interiors and depicts cable news personalities engaging in salacious behaviors. His paintings revel in the fabricated reality that the news space engenders. These narratives take the "news" to its logical endpoint of violent implosion. This experience is explored by employing the slow medium of painting. His labor-intensive process negotiates time by re-presenting the continually pregnant moment of the news feed. 

Please join us Saturday, April 8th from 2-3pm for an artist talk. Watne will discuss his practice in an informal environment, focusing on the works in his current exhibition Hello Darkness My Old Friend. No RSVP is required.

HAW CONTEMPORARY - STOCKYARDS  1600 LIBERTY STREET.  KANSAS CITY, MO 64102

 

Exhibition Images ()

  • A surreal beach scene depicts a overturned pink car surrounded by dark wolves at sunset, with a dramatic pink and purple sky. The composition uses layered painting techniques to create a sense of fractured reality and foreboding atmosphere.
  • A vintage muscle car with racing stripes sits alone on a vast desert plain beneath a dramatic twilight sky transitioning from deep purple to burnt orange and red on the horizon. The painting employs layered, textured brushwork to create an atmospheric landscape that evokes isolation and contemplation.
  • A nocturnal landscape painting depicting an owl perched on a sandy road illuminated by artificial light, with dark shrubland silhouetted against a black sky. Tire tracks mark the pale ground, creating geometric lines leading toward the solitary bird in this sparse, foreboding wilderness scene.
A white SUV lies overturned on a snowy beach at dusk, surrounded by dark wolves or dogs. The sky glows with vivid pink and blue hues above a forested shoreline, creating a surreal and ominous atmosphere with layered, painterly treatment.

More by Davin Watne (View All)