Devan Shimoyma, Stay Still

DECEMBER 2024

American artist Devan Shimoyama (b. 1989) constructs fantasy worlds which are a combination of his personal experiences. The artist explores being in the minority in a positive, carnivalistic way. 

A work depicting a man sitting in a barber’s chair, Stay Still was on show at Devan Shimoyama’s exhibition Fade Cut at Serlachius last summer. During the exhibition, a decision was made to acquire the work for the Serlachius’ collection.

Stay Still is one of many paintings in Shimoyama’s Barbershop series. In the backdrop of the works the artist’s own uncomfortable experiences of childhood barber visits. African American barbershops have traditionally been places where black men have been able to gather together freely. 

For minorities within African American culture, however, barbershops have not necessarily been easy places. As a child, Shimoyama found barber visits distressing as the atmosphere was hypermasculine, and there was no room for a person’s feminine sides. Because of this, young Shimoyama did not want to go to the barber. Instead, his uncle cut the boy’s hair in his grandmother’s basement.

Shimoyama spent his childhood in Philadelphia raised by his mother, grandmother and great-grandmother in a creative environment. His mother studied fashion design, his mother’s female friend was an artist, and the artist’s grandfather was a musician. In his childhood home, aesthetics were valued: silk flowers and beautiful objects were on display, and on Sundays the women decorated themselves festively for the church.  

Growing up with a queer mother allowed Shimoyama to explore his own identity in a safe space. He later befriended drag artists and was fascinated by their transformation and the fantasy they create. As an artist, he became interested in how drag queen performers create their stage personas, create femininity and beauty through artificial materials.

Both of these worlds – the ornamentation of the childhood home, its mindset that accepts sexual minorities and the visuality of drag artists – come together in Shimoyama’s art. In the Barbershop series, the artist has transformed the masculine barbershop into a feminine queer fantasy and a safe space for everyone. 

The works, implemented in strong tones, are coated with glitter and rhinestones. The fictional men and boys shown in the portraits are surrounded by ornate patterns and wallpaper. On their cheeks rhinestones depict tears or drops of sweat. In these images, men are allowed to experience and show emotions and express their feminine side. 

Serlachius’ art collection includes many portraits from different eras. The role of men in these images is often serious. They are depicted restrainedly: wearing black suits, sitting focused at their desks, posing as representatives of their estate or profession, or as young and sturdy, strong, forward-looking men. More nuances can be found, for example, in self-portraits of artists or portraits of children. Devan Shimoyama’s Stay Still is a welcome addition to the male portraiture in the art collection.

Laura Kuurne
Head of Collections and Exhibitions