Nykelle DeVivo

Portland, Oregon

Flash Of The Spirit (2018 - 2025)

Named after Robert Ferris Thompson's landmark book of the same title, Flash Of The Spirit refers to the lineage of the spiritual light work that spans the African diaspora. First documented in traditional dances along the West Coast of the continent, Thompson noted that Africans used brightly painted masks that, when twirled by the wearer, created an effect of strobing light that was meant to act as a portal between our physical world and the land of our ancestors. I create these self-portraits as an extension of my own spiritual practice in that my movements under the shroud act as a form of praise dancing, and the land these are created upon are locations I regularly return to for prayer. I choose sequined material as a transmitter for the divine as historically it's been used for Black expression from Soul Train to Sun Ra as well as the inherent connotations to Queer culture. Printed on large metallic paper, I work to create portals for the viewer to feel, enter, and move through the histories of our people.