Devynn Barnes is an Oakland-based painter and visual archivist. Having begun her creative pursuits in film and photography, Barnes’ self-taught painting is cinematic, infused with undeniable emotion. 

 

Zooming in and out of focus as she plays with detail and looseness of definition, the moments captured through paint, film and photo take on an ethereal nature existing across time.

 

As a queer Black artist, Barnes seeks to illuminate the unspoken truths that reside within the archives of the past. By melding documentation with artistic expression, Barnes invite viewers to confront their own narratives, encouraging a collective awakening, communal (melanated) homecoming and admittance to our interconnected archives.