As Devin Osorio is showing now in a duo show at Charlie James Gallery in Los Angeles, we take a look at the works from 2021—2023 as part of today's A Portfolio. The artist is based on the Lower East Side, New York City, and "honors Dominican culture through shrine-like paintings that incorporate plants, animals and glyphs to create a visual vernacular of and for the Dominican American community."
My process comes from digging deeper into the traumas of my childhood. Although my upbringing was filled with love and fondness, I hated myself growing up for being queer, fat, and gender nonconforming in a neighborhood that was structurally run by gangs. I’ve devoted my life to return to those spaces of trauma and provide gentleness, love, and acceptance. By choosing to insistently return to those corners of my memory, I aim to heal myself and unlock the parts of my person that I chose to hide for survival. Doing so allows me to be more fully open with myself and with others, which produces honest artwork. By revisiting myself I am tapping into my innate knowledge that allows me to reevaluate and bring forth references that I may take for granted.
