is proud to present
“Oak Cliff,” the latest solo exhibition by African-American mixed media artist Demarcus McGaughey, brings to life portraits and figures from the vibrant community of Black middle class families in Oak Cliff, Texas. McGaughey’s tribute to his hometown is an origin story with a captivating exploration of 20 vibrant contemporary artworks on canvas.
Skillfully created with acrylic paint, heavy texture, shades of gray and saturated colors, McGaughey says, “this is where my artistic journey started. This exhibition delves into a dynamic world filled with themes of a renaissance of Black culture, childhood memories, the privilege of life long friendships, and the legacy of a community. He explains that his inspiration for this collection comes from the strong bonds he has maintained since childhood, highlighting the sense of pride that Oak Cliff embodies. Oak Cliff, once known as Hord's Ridge, has a history dating back to the 1800s. Through various challenges such as floods and tornadoes, the community persevered and evolved into a stronghold for prominent African-American citizens in the 1980s and 1990s.
The revitalization of Oak Cliff was fueled by economic mobility, peaceful communities, and a reaffirmation of Black culture, leading to a strong sense of togetherness and identity among residents. The paintings in this exhibition reflect the hopes and sacrifices of the first-generation Oak Cliff parents who moved to the area to provide a better life for their children.
McGaughey's work captures the essence of Black figures through childhood experiences, nostalgia, and the profound impact of departed community members, honoring the foundation they laid for future generations. Using deliberate brushstrokes, McGaughey aims to inspire viewers to reflect on Black figures and encourage individuals to pay tribute to those who have shaped their communities. “Oak Cliff” is a rich celebration of Black identity, as well as a tribute to the resilience and beauty of Black communities and Blackness as a whole.
About the Artist
Demarcus McGaughey (b.1975) a Texas native and New York-based mixed media artist, passionately captures the beauty, strength, and vibrancy of people of color. Inspired by his mother as a child, he sharpened his artistic talents by coloring within the lines of her tracings. Eventually, he tapped into his storehouse of magic that pushed him to color outside the lines and chart an artistic path of his own.
McGaughey specializes in a mixed media style that combines painting, photography, graphic design with paper and fabric collage. This elixir of artistic elements stems from his fruitful stint in corporate advertising and graphic design. Post undergrad, he licensed his time and talents to ad agencies and corporations as a freelance designer. Since then, he’s developed a mastery of graphics, product development, branding, and brand coaching.
In the early days of his career, he found graphics to be the ideal catalyst to tell stories for other people. But it was through painting that he discovered an avenue to tell stories, his way. His vibrant portraits capture elements of his world travels, his family, and his community. Each painting, a love statement to the world, declaring, “I see you and I hear you.”
Behind his art, resides a lifelong fascination with human psychology. McGaughey has always been intrigued by the mind, especially the stories people tell themselves. As a result, in his art he assumes a narrator role—telling heroic stories of his subject’s self-actualization and self-determination. As a certified life coach, he passionately empowers his coaching community that life is what you create it to be. His portraiture work reveals triumphant tales of African American subjects who have manifested their destiny with a particular focus on the eyes, the window to the soul.
McGaughey also pays homage to cultural influences with elements of pop art, mass media, comic books, and advertising in his pieces. Inspired by Barkley Hendricks, who famously painted Black people in all their coolness, McGaughey portrays his people in a larger-than-life display. Drawing inspiration from Andy Warhol’s acclaimed artistry in pop art and advertising along with Kehinde Wiley’s massive masterpieces, McGaughey’s work exudes an undeniable flow.
Throughout his 20-year art career, McGaughey has worked with prestigious brands and organizations, including Beyoncé Knowles Carter and beverage giant Dr. Pepper. His work has been highlighted in numerous magazines and galleries stateside in New York and Texas, and globally in Spain. He has completed art residencies with Mas el sigols in Barcelona, Nfinit Foundation Arts Residency in Brooklyn, Art Crawl Harlem in New York, Chateau Orquevaux in France and Ma’s House in South Hamptons, NY.
Through his captivating lens, Demarcus McGaughey hopes to continue to inform inspiring stories of Black triumph.