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

Devon Dikeou, “Donation” (detail), 2009 Ongoing

Devon Dikeou “Mid-Career Smear” in Denver, CO celebrated the fall equinox with the relaunch of the Dikeou Literary Series at Dikeou Pop-Up: Colfax

Ester Partegàs, “Codependence,” 2019, cardboard, cotton fabric, wood glue, Fast Maché, acrylic and enamel paint, sealer, steel, plywood, 61 x 49 x 49 inches Courtesy of the artist and Foxy Production, NY.

Ester Partegàs and Claire Watson’s exhibition Guardian is on view at Essex Flowers in Chinatown through October 2.

Anicka Yi, “Biologizing The Machine (tentacular trouble),” 2019. Photo: Renato Ghiazza

Anicka Yi will debut her most ambitious project to date at Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall on October 12.

Sarah Staton, “Alphonso,” 2021, wood-fired brick and bespoke hand paintings

Sarah Staton unveiled “Alphonso,” a public art installation in Newton Leys on September 19. Her SupaStore Pressure Drop traveling exhibition is currently on view at Cylinder Gallery in Seoul, South Korea.

Michael Dumontier and Neil Farber, “Library,” 2021

Michael Dumontier and Neil Farber of the Royal Art Lodge recently published Library, a book of collaborative paintings and illustrations of imaginary books and their titles.

Marcel Dzama, NYC Transit Bedford Avenue Station. Commissioned by MTA Arts & Design. Photo: MTA Arts & Design/ Kris Graves

Marcel Dzama, also from Royal Art Lodge lineage, created stunning mosaics at the Bedford and 1st Ave L Train stations in NYC

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

Devon Dikeou, “’What’s Love Got To Do With It’: From Sculpture,” 1991 ongoing; (detail) “Reserved for Leo Castelli: Since Cezanne (After Clive Bell),” 2012 ongoing

“In-betweeness” is a central theme to Devon Dikeou’s art practice, which she describes as the spaces and materials that set the stage for important events and human interaction. She takes a specific element of that space, like a sign board from a gallery lobby or a napkin from a cocktail party and magnifies its role in what transpired within its proximity. She often goes further to recreate the space itself, be it a Parisian café or a bedroom in The White House. This conceptual model lends itself to art that materializes as everyday objects and installations, but there is more to it than that. What makes Dikeou a master of this model is that she is not merely repurposing the ordinary but rather reclaiming and elevating it as something significant, worthy, and precious. We now exist in a time when people crave nothing but normalcy, and Dikeou’s works exhibited in her retrospective exhibition “Mid-Career Smear” at The Dikeou Collection satisfies that craving for the everyday.

Devon Dikeou, “Security/Secure,” 1989; (detail) “Do I Know You?,” 1991 ongoing; (detail) “The News,” 1991 ongoing; (detail) Security Ke-Master, 1991 ongoing

After an extended closure due to Covid-19, The Dikeou Collection officially reopened to the public in March 2021. Seeing new and familiar faces walk through the doors has been a refreshing reminder how important real-life art experiences are for everyone in the creative ecosystem, especially when that experience mimics “real life.” Security/Secure, The News, Do I Know You, Security Ke-Master… these are all objects one would see throughout the day, but in 2020 and 2021 thus far, they are now novel and dare I say, exciting. A man with his family visited recently, and while in the office (complete with an employee time clock and cards) he commented how he felt like he was at work, a place he had not been in close to a year. And the crazy part is that he actually seemed happy and energized by that realization.

Devon Dikeou, “’Takes A Licking, And Keeps On Ticking’—Timex Ad Campaign,” 1991 ongoing

Only in these strange Covid-times would someone revel in the fact that an art exhibition makes them feel like they are at their job. There is an inherent understanding that art experiences are special and meant to be appreciated because we carve time out of our busy schedules to have them. We seek opportunities to momentarily escape our normal lives and try to see the world through a fresh creative lens. Now that the world’s scope of normal is upended, we long to go back to the days of seeing businesses open their big front gates in the morning and grabbing a sandwich from the deli before heading into work or school. Devon Dikeou and The Dikeou Collection invite you to return to that world, just as you left it.

-Hayley Richardson

The Dikeou Collection has been carefully monitoring the rate of COVID-19 in Denver and modeling health and safety protocol at art and culture venues throughout the state. We are pleased to announce The Dikeou Collection will reopen its doors to the public, exhibiting Devon Dikeou “Mid-Career Smear” by appointment, on Monday, March 1, 2021.

Curated by Cortney Lane Stell, “Mid-Career Smear” is an exhibition that forgoes conventional dividing lines and displays a fascination for the human-made world, calling to attention its inter-relatedness while softening the lines of the artist’s role—with a dose of humor and absurdity on top.

To help ensure a safe and comfortable experience, appointments will be available Wednesday-Friday. Email info@dikeoucollection.org or call 303-623-3001 to set up a date and time to visit.

We will be following the recommended guidelines from the CDC as well as The American Association of Museums, and will implement the following visitor guidelines to help keep you, our staff, and our community safe:

• Masks are required for all staff and visitors to enter the Colorado Building and The Dikeou Collection. If you do not have a mask, we will provide one for you.

• Physical distancing markers, designated entrance and exit points, and one-way directional signage have been placed throughout the collection.

• Multiple sanitization stations have been placed throughout the collection.

• All high-touch surfaces including doorknobs and checklists are sterilized before and after each scheduled visit.

• Do not enter the collection if you feel sick or have a temperature over 100 degrees.

The safety of our visitors, staff, and community are our top priority. We look forward to safely welcoming you to The Dikeou Collection. Rock on!

2011 was a year of growth for The Dikeou Collection. The Dikeou Pop-Up Space opened in The Golden Triangle District with new painting and sculptural installations by Nils Folke Anderson, and new work by Devon Dikeou and Lucky DeBellevue were added into the fold at The Dikeou Collection. Although they differ both formally and conceptually, Anderson and DeBellevue’s work both fit perfectly within the theoretical framework of the collection. Like Agathe Snow’s “Sludgie the Whale” and Johannes Vanderbeek’s “Newspaper Ruined,” these acquisitions amplify and celebrate works made with humble materials that manifest in monumental scale. DeBellevue utilized hundreds of chenille stems (AKA pipe cleaners) to create his towering yet inviting “Otter,” which envelopes the viewer in its fuzzy and kaleidoscopic embrace.

[caption id="attachment_4929" align="alignnone" width="500"] DeBellevue, Lucky 2002
Khlysty, the Owls, and the Others
LDBF0206
installation view Whitney Museum at Philip Morris
January 18 Ð April 5
Otter 2001
chenille stems
height variable x 115" diameter (detail)[/caption]

Suspended from the ceiling by glittering gold chenille stems and then gracefully spilling onto the floor in rich shades of red, blue, and black, the shape of “Otter” is reminiscent of a teepee with a triangular opening for people to enter. One’s experience of the work shifts from viewing the sublime to stepping inside a velveteen lattice cocoon. The title of the work is a nod to a slang term in the gay bear community, and “[uses] coded references that categorize interests within a particular community […] as objects kind of hiding in plain sight.” DeBellevue does not typically title his work, but in this case the title spurs delight in all, whether they know the true meaning or not.

DeBellevue’s use of chenille stems take on different forms and usages within the larger scope of his oeuvre. They figured prominently in his sculptures for about ten years from the early 90s to early 2000s (“Otter” was made in 2002) before implementing them as tools in his later 2-dimensional works. In his Untitled prints from 2011, DeBellevue used the chenille stems as stamps where he would bend them into different shapes, apply paint, and then press on to the paper. There are four of these 2-D works at The Dikeou Collection, and when placed within the same context as the sculpture new paradoxes arise. Is the sculpture a 3-dimensional drawing? The drawings are 2-dimensional sculptures? To the artist, it is a way to explore the various ways materials can be used. When the scope of DeBellevue’s work is looked at chronologically, one can see how the flecks from one series of work becomes more prominent in the next, like a continuous evolution of material development. Good art is a balance of change and consistency, and the focus on pattern, minimalism, and abstraction paired with a progressive approach to materiality makes DebBllevues creative world a magical and warming place to explore.

-Hayley Richardson