Devon Dikeou, “Donation,” 2009 Ongoing

Located in the former Jerry’s Record Exchange storefront, Dikeou Pop-Up: Colfax is an extension of The Dikeou Collection and offers an expanded look at Devon Dikeou “Mid-Career Smear” curated by Cortney Lane Stell. A reception was held at this location on September 22 to commemorate the fall equinox and welcome back our beloved Dikeou Literary Series.

Some of Devon Dikeou’s earliest work from her career, as well as brand new pieces exhibited for the first time, are currently on view at the Dikeou pop-up. Dikeou’s outdoor installation, “Donation,” was the focal point of the event, as it receives a new arrangement of fresh flowers four times a year on the seasonal equinoxes and solstices. This massive architectural niche replicates those found within the Grand Hall of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which receives new flowers on a weekly basis in a perpetual donation courtesy of benefactor Lila Acheson Wallace. As a member of the press, Dikeou would be privy to the Monday press previews at the museum, and witness the changing of the flowers, with last week’s arrangements tossed on the floor piece by piece.

Lizzi Bougatsos, “Self-Portrait,” 2012

This interplay of what is temporary and what is permanent is reflected in another work in the Dikeou Collection by artist Lizzi Bougatsos, whose “Self-Portrait” ice sculpture is now part of the seasonal equinox/solstice cycle present within “Mid-Career Smear,” and was also on view as a special edition for the occasion. With a gorgeously opulent floral display fresh from the day, “Donation” provided the perfect setting for one of the first Dikeou Collection public gatherings in over a year.

Equinox Bleu

Organized by writer, teacher, and editor Mairead Case, the Dikeou Literary Series is the collection’s longest running program (over a decade!). The readers for the evening included Ivan Levitt, a sophomore at George Washington High School in Denver, André O. Hoilette who was nominated for a 2020 Pushcart Prize, Common Name Farm co-founder Phil Cordelli, and 2019 Fence Modern Poet winner Tess Brown-Lavoie. Reading equinox-themed works as the sun went down and the construction lights blared, the feelings of togetherness, openness, and sharing we’ve all longed for during these long months was fully achieved.

More event images can found here