10/13/2026
Remembering Devon Dikeou (1963-2026)
We are saddened by the passing of Devon Dikeou – artist, curator, collector, founder of 𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘦, and beloved community member. Devon described her practice as an effort to define “the spaces that act as interfaces between the artist, the context of viewing…, and the collector.” In spring 2011, Devon created 𝘔𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘴 𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘉𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘜𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘉𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘸𝘣𝘰𝘺𝘴, in which she took jazz as her subject; she acted as curator, critic, and detective, and asked the viewer to take on and learn from these roles.
The installation spanned a wood-paneled wall of 56 photographs, each showing an engraved metal nameplate bearing the name of an American jazz musician. Some names were instantly recognizable, like Miles Davis and Nat King Cole; others weren’t, and visitors had to decide what made a name worthy of commemoration and whose authority they were willing to trust. Among these nameplates, Devon inserted a forged nameplate for her friend Sonny Simmons and enlarged it into a 17x12-foot mural, accompanied by a limited-edition CD, 𝘚𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘺 𝘚𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘘𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘵 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘳.
With wit and rigor, Devon asked us to look closely at how taste, history, and value are made, and we are grateful for her work and the questions she forced us to ask. Our thoughts are with her loved ones, friends, and the many artists and readers she connected with.
Exhibition photos by Todd Johnson
