David Leggett is a visual artist who lives and works in Los Angeles, California. He received his BFA from Savannah College of Art and Design (2003), and a MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2007). He also attended The Joan Mitchell Foundation Artist-In-Residence program (2018). His work tackles many themes head on; hip-hop, art history, popular culture, sexuality, the racial divide, and the self are all reoccurring subjects. He takes many of my cues from standup comedians, which I listen to while in my studio. He ran a daily drawing blog Coco River Fudge Street that started in 2010 and ended in 2016. He has shown his work throughout the United States and internationally, including recent solo show at Steve Turner Contemporary Los Angeles (2021) and a group show at Kunstraum Potsdam in Potsdam, Germany (2021). He received the visual artist award from 3Arts Chicago in 2009.
ALL VIDEOS CREATED BY ON THE REAL FILM • https://www.ontherealfilm.com
All that Light: Work Detail
15.
House without a basement
David Leggett
2022
Acrylic, collage, and crayon on paper mounted on panel with found photo.
Curator’s Note
This installation uses a found photo of a family as its central reference point. The parents' body language suggest both the potential newness of their formation as a family unit and their pride in their newborn which seems to be the occasion of this portrait. Leggett's accompanying drawings respond to this visual information in his typical adroit and inimitable way. As many who have written about the artist have noted, David Leggett is known for his deft use of satire in his highly politicized works which examine race and popular culture. It as been said that Leggett's work channels the Chicago Imagists, a key influence, with vibrant colors colloquial references in his drawings, paintings, and object making.
The artist often incorporates text, photography, slogans, and portraits of iconic figures and cartoons characters in his works to explore themes on racial injustice, violence, and oppression, specifically in the American context. Leggett earned his BFA from Savannah College of Art and Design and MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Additional Reading
On the use of satire in Leggett’s work: http://insidewithin.com/david-leggett/
Arts and culture writer Caira Moreira-Brown interviews Leggett on his post-Chicago art practice: http://fadmagazine.com/2019/07/17/a-frame-of-humour-in-conversation-with-david-leggett/