Image courtesy of the artist
From December 2-22, 2022, New City Arts presented i decided to do nothing (about everything), an exhibition of work by David Askew.
In i decided to do nothing (about everything), Askew considers their relationship with social media through paintings of posted selfies. Ubiquitous in modern life, social media is a powerful—and essential—tool for many artists to share and sell their work. Yet algorithms and trends require a carefully curated online presence often disconnected from reality. What impact does this commodification and consumption of our personal image and lives have on our own sense of self? Our relationships? How do we contend with this force? Do we?
New City Arts' Welcome Gallery
114 3rd St. NE, Charlottesville, VA 22902
First Fridays
December 2 from 5-7:30PM; Artist talk at 6PM
Free and open to the public. All ages welcome.
Gallery Hours
Wednesday-Friday from 10AM-5PM; Saturday from 10AM-2PM
Exhibition Events
New City Arts & Crafts: Dec 7 at 10AM
Covid-19 Visitor Policy
Masks are encouraged for all visitors. Please do not come to Welcome Gallery if you have been exposed to COVID-19, are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, or have been advised to isolate or quarantine.
Listen to the Exhibition Playlist 🎧
Exhibition Statement (courtesy of the artist)
recite everything i say in my head - disappear into a void of nothingness.
do i change? do i evolve?
do i become nothing amongst everything?
i shaved my head…
bleached hair on tan skin, shed memories of my past - infesting every inch, curve, and crevice
why do i need change to be happy?
i decided to do nothing (about everything.)
I have an obsession with the concept of change and forever evolving into the genuine form of self. How is one supposed to know who they are in a world constantly changing? I decided to nothing (about everything) strives to answer that question through an exploration of portraiture under the lens of social media.
Social media exists as a striving force that dictates how we are perceived, valued, and as a record of our existence, making itself - everything. One can say that is a bold statement, but I strongly disagree; as a society we are constantly immersed in the spectacle culture of viewership and constantly knowing what others are doing and I [redacted] hate it. Social media is everything to us - culturally, but it is literally nothing at the same time. So I ask you, have you ever questioned the nature of your reality?
About the Artist (courtesy of the artist)
David Alston Askew is a Black, Queer painter from Virginia Beach, Virginia and is a current Aunspaugh fellow with the University of Virginia’s Art department. Their work is an exploration of self identity through abstract portraiture and is used as a tool for self reflection of how they perceive their sense of self and place in society.
Photos by Lindsey Leahy.