Devan Shimoyama

Biography

Devan Shimoyama, American artist, works in painting, drawing and installation. His production explores themes related to sexuality, race and gender identity, drawing on a wide range of references including mythology, popular culture, mass media, anime and the great classical painters. His creative process includes a large number of materials, in the manner of a pictorial collage, resulting in compositions that feature figurative and abstract elements. The characters in his paintings combine male and female aspects, defying traditional gender norms by evoking a sense of ambiguity. The artist uses fashion and decoration as tools to explore self-expression. In his own words, “The materials reflect how I think about the construction of identity, and possibly the code-switching from one era to another”.

Works