As Above, So Below Art Exhibition

Indigo dye is an intriguing substance. It strikes a balance between precise science and magical experience. Long before its scientific understanding, indigo was used all over the world for its color, but it was also revered for its magical transformation from green to blue in the dye process. Before knowing that on the molecular level, indigo was bonding with oxygen, it was described as “breathing” as if it were a living entity. Through growing and dyeing with it, I find a place to hold both the spiritual and the scientific. Its place in my practice is symbolic and functional. The same is true for hand-stitched resist shibori as a method of making marks on fabric. It slows down my experience of time and the imagery references my parasomnia hallucinations. It gives rise to two narratives- that I slow down time and a create a magical transformation, or that I bind fabric and use a chemical reaction to create a pattern. Through this I question- are these arcane symbols from a world beyond consciousness, or simply a misfiring of the brain?

Davana Robedee is a multi-media artist living in Syracuse, New York. She received an M.F.A from Syracuse University and a B.A. from Southeastern Louisiana University. Her work has been shown in numerous exhibitions including, In a Moment Between Dreams at the Dowd Gallery in Cortland, NY, The Instability of Nothing at Riverviews Art Space in Lynchburg, VA, Climates at View Art Center in Old Forge, NY, and Revival at the AC Institute, NYC. She has participated in residencies at Weissensee School of Art in Berlin and Kimmel Harding Nelson in Nebraska City.

Davana is currently the Program Director at the Schweinfurth Art Center where she works as a curator, oversees programs, and other community events. She also serves on the Syracuse Public Art Commission. As an artist and arts administrator, Davana is interested in cultivating public community arts practices.