Overview
Debuting on November 2, 2022, Didier William: Nou Kite Tout Sa Dèyè (through April 16, 2023) is the largest solo exhibition of Didier William’s career. Translated as “We’ve Left That All Behind,” the show presents an in-depth look at the North Miami-raised artist’s career and memory among the very neighborhood where he once grew up.
Curated by Erica Moiah James, Ph.D, the exhibition will feature over forty works spanning multiple mediums, and including some of his newest paintings. Complementing the painted work, and speaking to the close relationship of painting and printmaking in William’s practice, are new drawings and artist books. The show also includes William’s first monumental sculpture: a 12-ft.-tall wooden body emblematic of a religious column present in Haitian worship rituals.
In a blend of personal reflections, biographical anecdotes, and historical moments, some of the works featured in the show will recontextualize a selection of art historical iconographies and ideas, stripping them of their “known” truths and transforming each into something entirely new. By doing so, William playfully and unapologetically reclaims autonomy over a fragmented record of history, engaging his personal connection to the complexity of immigrant narratives to create opportunity for investigation and redemption.
About the Artist
Didier William earned his BFA in painting from The Maryland Institute College of Art and an MFA in Painting and Printmaking from Yale University, School of Art. His solo work has been exhibited at M+B Gallery, James Fuentes Gallery and Altman Siegel Gallery. His group exhibitions include the Bronx Museum of Art, the Museum of Latin American Art, the Museum at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. William was a 2020 recipient of the Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters & Sculptors Grant, and a 2021 Pew Fellow at The Pew Center for Arts and Heritage. He has taught at several institutions including Yale School of Art, Vassar College, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania and SUNY Purchase. He is currently Assistant Professor at Rutgers University. Didier William lives and works in Philadelphia.
