Danielle De Jesus

Brooklyn, NY

August 1- 31, 2020

ARTIST STATEMENT

As a first-generation, U.S.-born Puerto Rican raised in a quickly gentrifying Brooklyn, my identity and art are situated on the borderlands of “aqui y alla” (here and there). In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, my work addresses gentrification, displacement, and how communities maintain hope in the face of adversity in Puerto Rico and New York. My paintings are influenced by human suffering and hope, photography, and the use of unconventional surfaces.

Subverting the power of currency plays an important role in my work. Many of my paintings are on U.S One dollar bills as a social commentary on the power of capitalism and the exploitation of Puerto Rico. By painting on U.S currency, I undo its monetary use while emphasizing the importance of the art as possessing inherent value. In August 2018, my dollar series was displayed in a solo art show in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, entitled “Efectivo Inefectivo.” 

My art is best represented by my piece entitled, “Carmelo.” In “Carmelo,” I juxtapose his Bushwick basement dwelling with a portrait of him based on a photograph where he wears a baseball cap fixed with the Puerto Rican flag. I tell the story of his longing for home and his non-belonging in New York. His story is a representation of the intersections of race, gentrification, financial precarity, and displacement. Through mixing photography, painting, and unconventional media, my art tells the story of struggle and hope.  Further, I am expanding my portfolio with larger scale painting while documenting Bushwick Brooklyn from the perspective of communities being displaced by rapid change. 

BIO

Danielle De Jesus is an artist who’s paintings tell the story of her life growing up in Bushwick Brooklyn. Juxtaposing her experience as a Puerto Rican in the diaspora with the gentrification of her home neighborhood, she tells the story of displacement through various mediums including U.S currency. Danielle De Jesus’ background is in photography and she utilizes her images of the people native to Bushwick as a reference to tell the story of Bushwick’s displaced residents. As someone who has personally experienced the effects of gentrification, Danielle De Jesus aims to highlight the relationships and intimacy of the people effected by gentrification which consist primarily of people of color and low-income homes.

Danielle De Jesus also paints images depicting the story and history of the Puerto Rican people both in Puerto Rico and in the diaspora. Danielle paints on dollar bills to emphasize the effect that capitalism has on the colonial status of Puerto Rico throughout history.

ARTIST LINKS

Website: www.DanielleDeJesus.com

Instagram: @DanielleDeJesus1