Natural Sovereignty is New-York based artist David Shrobe’s second solo exhibition at Monique Meloche Gallery in Chicago, opening February 3, 2024. Shrobe works in assemblage, collage, drawing, and painting, frequently incorporating elements
found on the street near his Harlem studio. His subjects are inspired by vintage family photographs along with archival images representing the vitality of family life among Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities. Shrobe’sbody of work in Natural Sovereignty poetically navigates the linkage between personal freedom and the natural world. As the exhibition approached, I asked the artist about the narratives and concepts embedded in some of his recent works.
Transition Mode plays with interior and exterior spaces by portraying the family in a garden setting. Here, the outdoor space is a portal from labor to leisure. Shrobe describes the scene: “It’s a tea party between a husband, wife, and dog in their garden transitioning from work to leisure mode.” He notes that in this mode the “shoes and sneakers are coming off” as evidenced by a bare foot and Nike sneaker logo. This garden is an extension of the home in this group of paintings, and as the gallery explains a “site of sustenance, survival, and resistance.”
