keina's bio
Keina Davis Elswick founded Sivadart Studio in San Francisco , CA in 1998. Her work is shown here on an ongoing basis as well as in museums, galleries and alternative spaces throughout the U.S and internationally. Her work is owned by a diverse group of people from around the world, including collectors in France, Germany, Brazil, Japan, Africa, Canada, The UK, as well as numerous collectors in the U.S. Mrs. Davis is a recipient of several grants and awards including Individual Artist Grants from The Puffin Foundation, ( 2 time recipient) from The San Francisco Arts Commission and (2 time recipient) from the George Sugarman Foundation. Keina was a nominated candidate for the 2005-2007 Eureka Fellowship, a 25,000 award given by the Fleishhacker Foundation. This is the largest individual prize given to Bay Area artist. . Last year she was also nominated for the Visions from the New California Award, given by the James Irvine Foundation in conjunction with The Alliance of Artists Communities. She was a semi-finalist in the 2004 Sotheby’s International ArtLink. This is a highly competitive annual juried event that selects artists from throughout the globe to exhibit their work in international museums, as well as have their work sold at Sotheby’s auctions in Tel Aviv Israel, Moscow and Amsterdam. Exhibits took place in select U.S cities as well.
Mrs. Davis is featured in Imagining Ourselves: Global Voices from a New Generation of Women. This is an interactive exhibition and anthology that debuted on March 8, 2006, organized by the International Museum of Women . A preview of the exhibit debuted at the United Nations in March 2005..
She has been featured in several other publications including African American Review, San Francisco Chronicle, Dysonna Magazine, The Oakland Tribune, Black Arts Quarterly published by Stanford University, Voices published by Duke University, Yush Magazine UK , B.E.T’ Sponsored Digital Drum Magazine, African Voices, Luv 4 Art Magazine, 7x7 SF, B-gyrl, Arise Magazine, City Flight, Get Underground & Today’s Canadian Black Woman. Mrs. Davis’ work is also featured in the book Regeneration:Telling Stories From our Twenties, which was released in January 2003 by Penguin- Putnam Books NYC. Upcoming book feature released in Early 2008. (More info TBA)
Her most recent exhibitions/events include solo shows at Stanford University, The San Francisco African American Museum, Portfolio Gallery (St. Louis), Fighting for Liberation at UC Berkeley, The Whitney Young Cultural Center(San Francisco), Cesar Chavez Gallery(San Francisco), Multicultural Center Gallery at UC Santa Barbara, and University of California Los Angeles.
Her most recent group exhibits include Truth and Activism at Intermedia Arts in Minneapolis, Carol H. Simms International exhibit at the African American Museum (Dallas. TX), Deconstruction/Reconstruction: The Family Experience at the Museum of Fine Art FSU, (Tallahassee, FL), , Women Overcoming the Body in Honolulu, Hawaii, The New Power Generation at Hampton University Museum(Hampton, VA),Of Color at Harvard University (Cambridge), Ancient Traditions: Contemporary Forms at the Embassy of Ghana (Washington, DC), New Dimensions in African American Art at Norfolk State University Archives Museum, Illuminations at the Yawkey Center (Boston, MA), Women of Color at the Liz Long Gallery & Urban Art Retreat(Chicago) ,Wild Women 2:Telling Tales at the Fetterly Gallery (Vallejo),The Locus Media Gallery(NY), Interpretations of Sound at Rush Arts Gallery (NY) owned by Russell Simmons. She was selected as 1 of 6 contemporary African American artists and the only female artist featured in this exhibition curated by Pepsi, Rush Arts Philanthropic and OneWorld Magazine, Represent Too:Celebrating Black Women Visual Artists of the 21st Century at the Tilford Art Group Gallery(LA), where her work was shown with 8 other artists including master artist Dr. Samella Lewis, Noir at the John Hynes Center(Boston), Culver Gallery(St. Louis), the 509 Cultural Center (San Francisco), the Limner Gallery (NY) and the Artemisia Gallery(Chicago).
Keina’s work was included in the 5th International Open, curated by internationally recognized artist Faith Ringgold. This exhibit took place at the Woman Made Gallery(Chicago), March 2002. Keina’s work was included at the Musee’ Dapper in Paris, at Bojangles, an exhibit/event sponsored by Cafe de la Soul and MGM Television Group France in 2001. Keina received her BFA in painting from the University of Florida in 1996 and was later accepted and given a
full merit award for the MFA Program at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston in affiliation with The Museum of Fine Arts Boston and Tufts University. Part of her education also includes participating in student travel programs in Europe, spending most of her travel time in London, UK. She has been painting since age 7 and exhibiting professionally since age 18.
Outside of her art Keina loves practicing Bikram Yoga (yes intense 100+ degree heat), collecting vinyl and making mixes (she is a closet DJ), coming up with and cooking new vegan dishes for friends and hanging out with her husband Ben.
keina's statement
I describe my work as Urban Folklore. The images depicted meld contemporary African American urban culture,with traditional African cultures & African American History. All of these creations are centered around an individual's journey to Sivad. In my work, Sivad represents not only a fictitious urban village where all the people portrayed are traveling to physically, but an internal, spiritual journey. Each painting reflects a pivotal moment in an individual's journey. Ancestor Spirits, represented by blue figures, or blue light, help guide these people as they travel day to day in search of Sivad.The journey is a metaphor for the experiences that unite us as human beings. Many of the people in my work gaze face forward. I want the viewer to make a direct connection with their eyes. I believe the saying, “the eyes are the windows to the soul.” When someone looks you in the eyes it becomes more difficult to ignore them, even if it is for a second. Whether it is the story I saw when my eyes briefly connected with an old woman's eyes while walking down the street, or the feeling I got when I talked to a single mother struggling to raise 3 children....they all inspire my work. I feel a story should never be owned by just one person...but rather experienced by many.Storytelling has been defined as an oral tradition, folklore passed on to generations of people through speech, or the “tellers”. In the tradition of an African Griot, I pass on the stories of everyday people. Rather than telling the stories verbally, I am sharing them visually...on canvas. I want these stories to be available to my generation as well as generations to come. These stories deserve a place in history too. My current work includes the following series:
“No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs”, where I explore the shared history of Irish American immigrants and African Americans beginning in the 1800's and how these historic relationships have evolved within contemporary American and Global Communities (such as South Boston & Africans in Ireland). . “No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs” was a statement often seen in windows of boarding houses and other public places in England in the early to mid 1900's, but its syntax is a poignant picture of the common social roots of these two cultures here in America as well. I chose this title because I am interested in how at one point there was a particular historical intersection where these cultures were considered second-class citizens. Thanks Case for helping inspire this body of work.
The Village of Lost Dreams, which focuses on young African-American women who have been negatively impacted by their economic and social status, but are seeking alternative futures. To help shape a new destiny for themselves within the context of their own communities and society as a whole, they learn the power of voicing their own stories;
The New American Family, which focuses on Interracial/ Multi-cultural families. My focus is to explore how the history of race relations in America shapes the way contemporary society views Interracial and Multi-cultural families, as well as the way the families view themselves.
The Village of Mothers and Children, which focuses on the issue of single mothers and grandmothers raising a new generation of children.
Some Major Goals of my Work include the following:
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