Damon Locks: “We Are Our People/Listen To This” exhibition at Goldfinch Gallery, Chicago

Posted on April 27, 2025 by Ken Vandermark

Thankful to be back in Chicago after the project with Svetlost and Paal Nilssen-Love (more on the second half of that tour shortly) and in time to see Damon Locks’ “We Are Our People/Listen To This” exhibition at Goldfinch before it leaves the gallery on May 3rd. I encourage anyone who is in town and interested in art and ideas to visit the show while you still can: 12-4pm on Friday, May 2nd and especially on Saturday the 3rd when Damon will be in conversation with fellow artist, Andres L. Hernandez at 1pm: Goldfinch, 319 N. Albany Ave., Chicago. As stated on @blackmonumentensemble “Be there or be square!”

Damon Locks is one of the most inspiring people I know. As a visual artist, musician, and educator, in addition to an extraordinary creative output, the level of discipline, rigor, and imagination he brings to his work is astounding. Case in point- as I walked through the “We Are Our People/Listen To This” exhibition, which consists of remarkable pieces utilizing simple (not simplistic) materials like pencil, paper, ink, xerox, acrylic, wrapping paper, wood panel, metallic tape, tracing paper, often with collage methodology, I suddenly realized that half of it had been produced in the first three months of 2025. I was fortunate enough to see two pieces, “There is Cause for Alarm” and “Light Explosions”, as works in progress while Damon was an artist in residence at the Ox-Bow School of Art and I was there to help teach Richard Hull’s “Word, Music, Action!” painting course with poet/critic John Yau during the summer of 2024. Seeing them now in their completed form was stunning.