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| Lolita Develay, The Butterfly Effect, triptych painting part of the Window Shopping series. Image via lolitadevelay.com. |
Text | Xazim Garza, Reporter/Columinst, Las VegasReview-Journal
Published February 7, 2013
Sometimes the best way to make a
statement about African-Americans is to take everything African-American out of
the statement.
That was Lolita Develay's thinking as
she decided which of her art collections to feature at the African-American
Heritage Exhibit 2013 that runs February 7 through April 18, 2013 at the Las
Vegas City Hall Chamber Gallery.
The artist and University of Nevada,
Las Vegas master's student chose "Window Shopping," a collection of
paintings depicting mannequins in boutique windows at Crystals at CityCenter.
Fifty-one-year-old Develay, who is
African-American and the daughter of a Tuskegee Airman, has other collections
that address race, specifically her "Living Dolls" paintings. Each
work creates a hybrid of a celebrity's face on the body of another celebrity of
a different ethnicity.
For instance, in "Brass PenNay"
Penelope Cruz's Latin facial features are matched up with Naomi Campbell's
toned, African-American supermodel body. In "Beck Beck Heroic and
Sublime," African-American model Tyson Beckford's face is attached to
English soccer sensation David Beckham's underwear-clad body. "Beyond
Pam" features Pamela Anderson's demure derriere and double DD breasts with
the eyes of Beyonce, whose voluptuous body has become just as popular as the
one-time Baywatch babe's.
"I mixed up the races," says
Develay, because "we live in a society where racial lines are
disappearing. We're developing our own American race and it can be anyone from
anywhere."
To feature this collection in the
upcoming exhibit, though, would have been too obvious. She chose a more subtle
approach.
"Window Shopping" can be
looked at as a piece about consumerism. The mannequins, after all, are
decorated in garments and accessories out of financial reach for your average
American. But, it's more than that.
The mannequins, which are shiny objects
with no racial identities, can be representative of anyone. The real message in
this body of work is that Americans, regardless of gender, ethnicity or wealth,
have a desire for material things.
"I'm a black girl, yes, but I
mostly feel like I'm an American," Develay says. "These paintings
don't have race at the core. They have humans at the core."
Develay took photos of the window
displays from such luxury fashion boutiques as Roberto Cavalli, Versace and
Christian Dior and then used watercolors and oils to re-create them. The faces
have a sheen to them, the chandeliers behind the mannequins sparkle and the
jewelry featured throughout shimmers. It's all reflective, literally and
figuratively.
Develay is from California, has worked
in advertising and once pursued a degree in genetic research. Her original
foray into the art world was through photo-realism. She gave it up when other
artists criticized her paintings that looked like photographs, asserting that
paintings should look like paintings.
She bought into it and ended up in the
corporate world, doing visual merchandising for Estee Lauder's displays in such
department stores as Macy's and Neiman Marcus. The further she climbed the
advertising ladder, the fewer black faces she saw.
"The groundwork hadn't been laid
for them," she says.
That was a couple of decades ago. She
recognizes there's still work to be done, but hopes people are aware of more
common ground between the races than differences.
If people take in her work at the
African-American Heritage Exhibit and are surprised not to find an Afro-centric
painting, she'd like it to result in enlightenment.
"People have preconceived notions,
but if someone looks at it and says, 'Wow, black people like this, too,' that
in and of itself is what it's about," she says. "We're all Americans
at this point. These are our values."
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| Lolita Develay. Image via lolita-develay.deviantart.com. Source Link |
Love that "Butterfly Effect" piece!
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