We recently connected with Dadisi Curtis Jr and have shared our conversation below.
Dadisi, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
Overtime as an artist I have come to realize that the best work I can create are those that have an immediate connection. In my case most of the projects I work on are based on stories from my own life that are then expanded on. For some time, I have created work based on this concept of black Frankenstein, highlighting the demonization of African Americans in popular media. Six years ago, I left my dorm. It was a cold day, so I donned my ski mask. As a white couple approached me the woman clutched her purse and jokingly said, “Please don’t rob me,” and they laugh. This angered me to my core, deep down a part of me wanted to say, “I wasn’t going to, but now I will.” It was not only that moment but several throughout my life where society has made me feel less than human for no other reason than existing in a brown body. Being followed around stores, the clutching of a purse, walking while black contributes to these dehumanizing moments. No matter where I am in life each time it happens, I am reminded that I am other. It is this feeling of being deemed as less than or as a monster that motivates me at the least share my experiences but potentially connect with those from similar circumstances to show that they are not alone and cannot be defined by another individual. As I continue to create work using this concept of Black Frankenstein, I will use it as a vehicle to talk issues that I deal with such as mental health, discrimination and continuing to defy expectations despite how they might be viewed. I find that some of the most powerful work you can create comes from an immediate connection, imbuing it with the emotion and energy that you can feel.
Dadisi, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I started working towards my career in high school taking classes in computer programing and graphic design. I would then go on to begin majoring in graphic design at Kent State University. Influenced heavily by popular culture it was my desire to create album covers and t-shirts. It was then that I was introduced to printmaking and instantly fell in love with the medium receiving my B.F.A. in print media and photography. Since then, I have gone on to receive both an M.A. and M.F.A. in printmaking. In my practice it has been imperative that I remain flexible and creative when it comes to problem solving. As a master printer I have had to work with artist on the best possible way to executing the vision of other. For example, an artist wanted waves in their piece. Unsatisfied with using online assets I drove to a local lake on a windy day swam in waist deep and captured exactly what the artist wanted. Paying attention to this kind of detail and desire to have each project to its fullest potential, is what I strive to achieve. This is sentiment is what started my journey as a photographer. I started out using photography to create my own reference images, where I had complete control over all aspects of the composition. As the complexity and my skill increased, I looked toward practical effects and staged photography until the work was able to stand alone as a photograph. Combining print, photography, and my own conceptual philosophy, I have established a unique style that has become the corner stone of my brand.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Coming from a single parent household and the eldest son, growing up I always considered the man of the house. Not that my mother ever leads me believe I needed to be, but I felt that I should so, I always have worked in some form or another. We weren’t poor by any means and my mother did everything in her power so that we would want for nothing. Before I spoke about the concept of a super predator and part of that negative reinforcement by external forces truly lead me to believe that I would be dead or in jail by the age of eighteen. Even in black cinema it’s well known that our heroes die in the end. Since I felt I have had nothing to lose I began to sell recreational drugs, hoping that if I couldn’t provide for my family, I could at least take care of myself easing burden on my family. This wasn’t some noble cause, I also wanted all the shiny things too but, the justification was enough for me at the time. At the age of sixteen I had a child, he only survived one day but for that day I was a father. After his passing I came to the realization, had he survived I would be in no position to take care of another being. My choice was to double down and begin distributing harder narcotics. In my city it always seemed as if the only way to make it was through sports or the streets but, I’m no athlete. This only lasted a short period before my family found out and sent me to live with my grandmother as a last-ditch effort to save me before going too far. Still grieving I was isolated and self-medicating spiraling deeper and deeper until I broke. Schizophrenia is genetic, and my grandfather suffered from the disorder. They said it was a combination of the loss of my son, extreme depression, taking hallucinogens and a genetic predisposition that activated my schizoaffective disorder, a combination of mood disorders and schizophrenia. I cannot quantify the pure terror of every moment, as my delusions and hallucinations presented each day with the plot of a horror movie. It was the equivalent of a continuous mental death and on more than one occasion I had to stop myself from enacting my own plans of suicide. I was institutionalized for only a month, but it would take months to stabilize and to this day it is something that I must diligently monitor and maintain. This all sounds terrible, but it was this string of events lead me understand that if I could bring myself back from the brink of insanity, I could do anything. I broke free from the shackles of societal and interpersonal expectations to pursue my dreams of being an artist because nothing would ever be as difficult as that period in my life. During that time, I created my own mantra that has continued to help me when things seem difficult “Hope may never be lost and inspiration always to be found by those willing to look for it.” It was this time that set me on the path that I’m currently on and the motivation to push past my own limitations to reach my full potential as an artist.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
The driving force behind my creative journey is a desire to give back in some form or another. For me my end goal is open my own printmaking shop, specializing in screen prints ranging from high quality artist prints down to apparel. A key component to the shop is working with at risk youth to learn a trade but more importantly show them that there are ways to pursue your passion in a positive way. I had not learned about printmaking until college or, that there are ways to make a living as an artist. I would like to share my own experiences and if possible, help those who grew up in similar circumstances see what possibilities there are. I feel I was lucky getting this far and would like to pass those lessons along. Part of the reason I pursued my M.F.A. was so that I could teach on a university level to share not only my love of printmaking and photography but also help guide those just starting their own journey. A professor once told me that at the University of Iowa I was likely their only black teacher, and I was able to guide them from a perspective they had never encountered. This meant a lot and has guided my pedagogy to have my students become more critical thinkers, regardless of if they pursue art or not. Until I reach the point where I can make a living fulltime, I still like doing workshops or smaller classes where I can engage with the community expose people to joys of printmaking. Even in my own artwork it is important I share my own experiences to bring awareness to issues I have directly dealt with such as social justice and mental health. I believe that it is important to share or exchange perspectives to help create more understanding between communities and if I can contribute to the conversation in any meaningful way my work has purpose. Of course, for me one benefit is being able to wake up every day and do what I love, even when it’s difficult this reaffirms my resolve.
Contact Info:
- Website: studiodadisi.com
- Instagram: @studio_dadisi
- Facebook: Dadisi Curtis Jr
Image Credits
Trevon Jakar Jeff Barnett-Winsby