Spotlight

01/06/24

We’ve been admirers of Django Lewis’ work for some time now, and towards the end of last year, we finally got the chance to learn more about her practice. A Brooklyn-based artist and National YoungArts Winner in Visual Arts, Django uses her work as a profound exploration of memory, identity, and cultural heritage. Currently attending the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, RI, Django’s art is deeply rooted in her Trinidadian lineage and bridges the emotional and temporal gaps left by her father's absence.

One of her standout works, A Year of Self Reflection 2, 2024, created with acrylic and graphite on canvas, exemplifies her approach to weaving personal and cultural narratives. Her vibrant, dreamlike pieces blend family history, reggae music, and the rich legacy of Black photography, offering a deeply personal lens into her journey of self-discovery. Through her work, Django not only reclaims fragmented memories but also celebrates the cultural sounds and visuals that have shaped her life.

My name is Django Lewis and I am a Brooklyn based artist. My work is rooted in memory, specifically my own memory surrounding my father and my Trinidadian heritage. My art has helped to bridge the gap that my father’s absence and death created between me and my identity. All of my art, regardless of its form, is a representation of my own journey towards finding myself. I have recently been exploring memory through music, specifically reggae; dancehall, rocksteady, roots. My work has been inspired by the power of music, and the feelings that songs of my childhood bring me today. 

I really have to give all praise to my mother, for everything. She saw my interest in art and surrounded me with art supplies when I was just three. Because of this, painting has always felt like a part of me. I cannot imagine a time in my life where I haven’t been painting or making something. 

The style that I have now is really intertwined with my own journey towards grieving my father and understanding the passing of time. The man that you see with dreadlocks in most of my work is my father. I think he is one of the only faces, aside from myself, that is repetitive in my work. Most of my photo references come from old family archives and photo albums that my mom has. When my work isn’t visually connected to my family and my identity, my work is inspired by Black photography, dancehall culture, dub soundsystem culture, roots reggae, and other music. 

Works by Django Lewis - from top to bottom:

Dancehall Stylee, Grief,

My work is really personal to my journey through understanding grief and its connection to memory. When I try to reminisce about my childhood I cannot remember much, and what I do remember is all blurred. It wasn’t until exploring family photo albums that I was able to piece together family moments that I have no recollection of. For this reason I like to paint my memory through the lens of a dream. I use vivid colors to highlight my relation to events crucial to the development of my cultural identity that I simply cannot remember. What I do remember more clearly from my childhood is reggae. Recently my work has been more focused on my connection to reggae as a whole, and its importance in my life.

Photos: Works by Django Lewis

I am really fascinated by the work of Malick Sidibé and Sanlé Sory. I always find myself drawn to the work Black photographers, especially from before my time. Sidibé and Sory’s use of composition and pattern inspires almost all of my work in some way. Their work, and all Black photography by Black photographers, is a form of representation that I will always admire, and I am grateful for the impact they left on the world. Recently I have also been interested in the work of Hassan Hajjaj. 

How much of your work is planned versus intuitive? Do you follow a strict process, or do you let the piece evolve organically? 

I start every piece with a very loose idea. Most of the time my ideas start out simple. Like wanting to have a blue background or two figures. I figure out a lot of things, like pattern and color, as I go. My finished product is almost always completely different than my initial idea, but the feeling and the mood remains the same. 

Art is responsible for a lot of things in my life. I definitely would not be the person I am today having this as a platform for my voice to be heard. My art serves as more of a personal way of expression than anything. In Grief, I used painting as a way to familiarize myself with my father’s face, an image that blurs for me as time passes. Without understanding him and his identity I was unable to understand myself and mine. Painting has helped me work through many things, this just being one of them. 

Works by Django Lewis from top to bottom -

A Year of Self Reflection, Untitled, Brotherhood

Are there any unusual sources that inspire your work? 

My art would not exist if it were not for music, specifically reggae. I’ve recently been inspired by an album called Born to Love by Slim Smith. Some lyrics from this album can be seen in My Root, a painting I finished about a week ago. Album covers, specifically roots reggae album covers, inspire a lot of the colors and compositions I create. I’m also really interested in the history of sampling and the origins of funk and soul, just to name a few. I would say my interest in music definitely finds its way into my work. 

Hmm.. I think it would taste like curry goat. Definitely some type of curry.

As an artist I think prioritizing your own voice is more important than anything. Creating art is such a powerful tool and it’s something unique to all of us. Don’t let other people cloud your way of thinking. I exist and create for myself and at the end of the day I need to be the one satisfied with what I make.