Shake My Skin Loose: Justice Dwight

ADA Gallery is pleased to present Shake My Skin Loose; new fabric works by local artist Justice Dwight. Dwight is a self-taught artist, raised in Richmond by a portraitist and a doll collector, from whom he took many early lessons in art-making.

Drawing from the history of quilting and the visual language of Americana, the work questions familiar ideas of freedom, prosperity, and belonging while making space for more expansive understandings of Black life.

As well as quilting, Dwight’s work includes painting, collage and print, always utilizing a bold color palette and a commitment to overlooked materials, techniques, and narratives.

Dwight’s work centers joy in American narratives of belonging, self-invention, intimacy, and becoming. In his new work, he shakes his skin loose, becoming whole through change.

Dwight has shown work across Richmond, including 1708 Gallery, Iridian Gallery, Capital One, and The Visual Art Center of Richmond, where he was an annual resident. He has contributed works to the collections of Issa Rae, Azaelia Banks, Big Freedia, and the U.S. Embassy in Cuba.

This is Dwight’s first time showing at ADA, though he is no stranger to the gallery. He first visited ADA at fifteen with his dad, who (correctly) predicted that he would show here one day.

Shake My Skin Loose will open on Friday, October 2, from 6 to 9 PM at ADA Gallery, 228 W. Broad St.