If you can believe it, 2022 was Dikeou Collection’s first full year open to the public since 2018. Devon Dikeou “Mid-Career Smear” is still rockin’ at The Colorado Building and Dikeou Pop-Up: Colfax, and finally had its full 365 days of glory. As we prepare to step into 2023, we want to look back at some of this year’s highlights and extend a big humongous thank you to everyone who helped make this one of the most fun and exciting years on record!

The equinox and solstice receptions at Dikeou Pop-Up became our signature events throughout the year. Each event featured a grand seasonal floral bouquet for Devon Dikeou’s ongoing “Donation” installation, as well as exclusive presentations of Dikeou Collection artist Lizzi Bougatsos’ “Self-Portrait” ice sculpture. The zingmagazine Airstream held court in the parking lot, and photographer Anthony Camera captured amazing shots of attendees donning zing-themed costumes. Artists and friends invited to DJ these 2022 gatherings curated sets of groovy jams from our massive vinyl archive.   

The Dikeou Literary Series is still going strong after 13 years! Emily Dickinson and Virginia Woolf served as the themed inspiration for the two readings hosted by the collection this year, as they are both referenced in artworks on view in “Mid-Career Smear.” Series organizer Mairead Case’s deep knowledge and connections within the Denver literary community brought forth writers whose work flowed effortlessly with that of Dickinson and Woolf, and brought meaningful attention to the audience as well.

This summer saw two unique events that invited creative experts to share their skills and knowledge with the Dikeou audience. The first was a glass blowing demo with veteran glass artist Kit Karbler. The fine folks at Flux Studio LLC shared their incredible space with us as we watched Kit and his two partners Dmitri and Evan hand-blow a second edition of the vases that comprise Devon Dikeou’s piece “We’d Like to Get to Know You.” It was a scorching summer day, but that didn’t stop us from reveling in the 1800-degree flames. The following month Brandon Johnson of Almighty & Insane Books traveled to Denver for Silian Rail on Bone: A History of Business Cards where he shared his knowledge of the origins and uses of business cards, the art of their design, and their importance as primary sources to reflect historical structures of power, economics, and culture. Peter Miles Bergman and Heather Link-Bergman of isPress followed the talk with an interactive letterpress demo, where attendees could press their own personal business cards with a vintage Sigwalt #11 letterpress, just like the one used in Rockford Files. 

Undoubtedly the most significant event that transpired not only this year but likely in the collection’s history was Archive Live: Unpacking the Archived of Devon Dikeou with Josh T. Franco, Head of Collecting at the Archives of American Art. With initial planning starting in 2018 and the event originally slated for 2020, it goes without saying that we had been anticipating this occasion for a long, long time. On September 8, 2022, after sifting through Devon’s personal stash of letters, photos, sketches, notes, and more, she signed a pledge (via Autopen) to have the papers pertaining to her studio practice, zingmagazine, and Dikeou Collection donated to the Smithsonian Institution’s Archives of American Art where they will be preserved for posterity and made available for public access and research. Of all the happenings, parties, and gatherings of 2022 and all the years leading up to it, this is the one the solidified our place in the history books.

Mega huge thank you to everyone who visited the collection, attended an event, shared their time and expertise, and sent love from near and far this year - Happy New Year to all!

-Hayley Richardson

Director

A quick snapshot of what Dikeou Collection artists have been up to over the past month, and what to look forward to next month.

Image courtesy of Edwynn Houk Gallery

Sebastiaan Bremer has work on view at Edwynn Houk Gallery's booth at Art Basel Miami

Chris Johanson, 2022
Installation view, image courtesy of Altman Siegal

Chris Johanson’s solo exhibition is open through December 17 at Altman Siegel in San Franisco

Image courtesy of NoguerasBlanchard

Ester Partegàs’ exhibition “Refugio de Fachada Solar” is on view at NoguerasBlanchard in Spain through January 28

Image courtesy of Giasco Bertoli

The Winter 2022/23 edition of Roses Tatouées, created by Giasco Bertoli, is currently available

Image courtesy of Glenstone

Wade Guyton’s “Untitled, 2020-21” is on view at Glenstone in Maryland

Image courtesy of David Zwirner

Marcel Dzama: Child of Midnight is on view at David Zwirner London through December 22

Image courtesy of MIT Visual Arts Center

Anicka Yi is currently exhibiting work in Symbionts: Contemporary Artists and the Biosphere at MIT Visual Arts Center through February 26

Image courtesy of Tramps Gallery

Lizzi Bougatsos is currently exhibiting at Tramps Gallery

Image courtesy of Weitzman National Museum of Jewish History 

The Future Will Follow the Past: Am Exhibition by Jonathan Horowitz is on view at the Weitzman National Museum of Jewish History in Philadelphia through December 

Image courtesy of anonymous gallery

Agathe Snow recently exhibited new work in Vegyn at anonymous gallery

Image courtesy of @joshuaabelow

Joshua Abelow is currently exhibiting work in Aoulioulé at Musée régional d’art contemorain in Sérignan, France through March 19

Image courtesy of @kerri_scharlin

Kerri Scharlin recently completed an artist residency by Assets for Artists at Mass MoCA

Image courtesy of Yale Maquette

Lisa Kereszi contributed a photo essay to issue 3 of the Yale Maquette

Image courtesy of Creative Community Art Club

Simon Periton contributed sets of badges, tea towels, and coffee mugs for the 9to90 Creative Community Art Club Kickstarter campaign

Image courtesy of Dikeou Collection

Tracy Nakayama is part of Armory Art’s 2023 Teaching Staff Roster

A quick snapshot of what Dikeou Collection artists have been up to over the past month, and what to look forward to next month.

Marcel Dzama photographed by Spike Jonze in 2010

Marcel Dzama spoke to Artspace about his early years growing up in Winnipeg and the house fire that helped reignite his creativity

Photo credit: Sebastian Kim

Anicka Yi’s solo exhibition ÄLñ§ñ is currently on view at Gladstone Gallery through November 12. She also has work on view at MIT’s List Visual Arts Center through February 26, and she will be in residence at Stanford’s Institute for Diversity in the Arts and the Office of the Vice President for the Arts in collaboration with the Human and Planetary Health working group through June 2023.

Photo source: CulturedMag.com

Anya Kielar will teach a fabric making workshop at Pioneer Works on Saturday, November 5. Her exhibition, Shadow Box, on view at PW through December 11, was recently reviewed on CulturedMag.com

Photo source: Emory.edu

Read Chad Dawkins essay “The Black Emergency Cultural Coalition: Direction Action and Attica Prison” on Emory University’s Rose Library Scholar Blog

Giasco Bertoli, TAPES

Giasco Bertoli’s book Tapes is currently available from RVB Books, in regular and special editions

Photo credit: Ellen Van Dusen

Designer Ellen Van Dusen’s favorite piece of clothing she owns is a sweatshirt by Misaki Kawai from NY Art Book Fair. We love it too!

Photo credit: John Daniel Powers

Lisa Kereszi’s “Water Fountain, Governors Island” was featured in a spread of James Lima’s Chelsea studio in Architectural Digest

Instagram @justingoldwater

Justin Goldwater completed his 1,692 mile trek along the Pacific Crest Trail! Congratulations!

Image Source: Cornell.edu

Watch Paul Ramirez Jonas’ Cornell University Keynote talk about his “Key to the City” project

Sebastiaan Bremer, Vinoodh 1. Courtesy Edwynn Houk Gallery

Sebastiaan Bremer’s recent exhibition at Edwynn Houk Gallery was reviewed in Musée Magazine

That old box of postcards, those yellowed clippings, envelopes with notes that were not to be forgotten. The sketched and scribbled detritus of day to day life is so easy to discard, but when saved and accrued over time, these little bits create a picture of one’s life just as rich as any painting and as real as any photograph. As an artist, publisher, curator, and collector, Devon Dikeou has had many of these materials pass through her fingertips, much of which she has thoughtfully saved and preserved. Possessing the intuitive nature to keep the paper trail of her career since the early 1990s and integrate the conceptual nuance of archiving into the wider scope of her art practice, Devon has accumulated an in-depth archive that has a culturally broad and deeply personal history within the contemporary art landscape. On September 8, 2022, Devon signed a pledge to have the papers pertaining to her studio practice, zingmagazine, and Dikeou Collection donated to the Smithsonian Institution’s Archives of American Art where they will be preserved for posterity and made available for public access and research. This important pledge capped off a special event at Dikeou Collection, Archive Live with Josh T. Franco, Head of Collecting at the Archives of American Art, where incredible documents and treasures were uncovered and revealing stories shared in front of a live audience.

Conceptualized by Josh Franco, Archive Live is an event where an artist sorts through their archival holdings with an archivist in an organic “unboxing” presentation so the public can experience the spontaneous discovery and conversation that transpires when a unique item is pulled from a box, folder, or drawer. There are dozens (and dozens) of boxes that hold the 30-years history of Devon’s artwork, zingmagazine, and Dikeou Collection files, so we made a point of bringing out a select few to present at the event.

   

The first document discussed was not found in Devon’s archives but one that already exists in the Archives of American Art, and that was her original letter of interest to apply as an intern at Tibor de Nagy Gallery and the subsequent correspondence for acceptance in 1985. These letters represent the early beginnings of a remarkable life in the arts and Devon’s prescient appearance in the Smithsonian’s archives. From there the boxes revealed one-of-a-kind wonders like the late Dan Asher’s handwritten artist statement for his work in the Dikeou Collection, Wade Guyton’s installation drawings for “The Room Moved, the Way Blocked,” Leon Fuller’s original notebook of TV Drawings from zingmagazine issue 13, glossy fashion photos by As FOUR, keys from Devon’s “What’s Love Got to Do with It” series taped in a folder (an archival no-no), and endearing and often hilarious notes from the many artists that populate Devon’s circle over the years.

The talk ended with the announcement of the Archives of American Art’s acquisition of Devon’s papers. This moment was made official with Devon’s signature of the promised gift agreements via autopen - a throwback to her D.C. days as an intern for Colorado Senator Gary Hart. The task of sorting and preparing the papers for their move to the nation’s capitol will be like reliving Archive Live over and over again, with approximately 150 linear feet of boxes full of groovy gems waiting to be found and made available for those who seek them. 

-Hayley Richardson

A quick snapshot of what Dikeou Collection artists have been up to over the past month, and what to look forward to next month.

 

Joshua Abelow’s solo exhibition “Barnett Abelow” is now open at H.G.Chicago.

Anya Kielar’s solo exhibition “Shadow Box” is on view at Pioneer Works through December 11.

Devon Dikeou has officially pledged to have the papers of her artist studio, zingmagazine, and Dikeou Collection entered into the Smithsonian Institution’s Archives of American Art where they will be preserved for posterity and made available for public access and research.

Lizzi Bougatsos created a lens cloth and keepsake poster for her homegirl Chloë Sevigny’s latest collaboration with Baby Parker. She also recently walked in Maryam Nassir Zadeh’s fall 2022 runway show.

Inspiration from Marcel Dzama was seen on the runway via BORAASKSU’s spring 2023 collection presented at London Fashion Week.

Anicka Yi spoke on the Community Panel, moderated by Thelma Golden, at the recent Sky High Farm Symposium at Judd Foundation. She was joined by Father Mike Lopez and Tremain Emory. She was also recently featured on an episode of A brush with. . . podcast

Mycophile Agathe Snow’s sculpture practice has evolved to now include her passion for mushroom farming. She and her partner Anthony Holbrooke run Mattituck Mushrooms in the North Fork region. “The real truth to it is that we’re both sculptors. There’s nothing like a mushroom,” she said. “[Discarded materials] we’re collecting for making sculpture also go into making growing boxes for the mushrooms.”

Sebastiaan Bremer’s current exhibition at Edwynn Houk Gallery was recently reviewed in VMan Magazine.

Paul Ramírez Jonas was honored at the recent Socrates Sculpture Park Benefit.