About the Exhibition
The Elevate at 21c program presents exhibitions for local artists, living and working in the communities surrounding our 21c Museum Hotel. Elevate provides hotel guests with unique access to the work of notable regional artists, while featuring their work in the context of 21c’s world-class contemporary art collection.
Denise Duong and Gabriel Friedman (Second Floor)
Denise Duong’s mural Off the Deep End spans both walls of the exhibition, providing an imaginative space for Between Inevitability, a 2022 collaboration with Gabriel Friedman.
Off the Deep End, 2019. Wall mural
Between Inevitability, 2022. Steel, mannequin limbs, ink, clock chime, plants, glass
Artist Statement
Chaos within and strength by necessity… with the slightest grin of hope, she is proud beyond sight. In one stage of a splashing metamorphosis… contained by an impenetrable shell, yet still connected to the previous, present and future self…. From a single point of origin to the unknown destiny, here is just a fleeting moment, a stage between the inevitability and winding road of self realization. A fight.. A dance… One of many awakenings. The first breath primes the vacuum of life. Her life is navigated by the constellation within.
More About the Artists:
Denise Duong was born and raised in Oklahoma City and studied sculpture and printmaking at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her work includes drawing, painting and large-scale murals. Many of her murals are on view in Oklahoma City, including nearby in the West Village, Plaza, and Asian districts.
Gabriel Friedman is an Oklahoma City based sculptural and large-scale 3D artist, photographer, builder, teacher, and father. He received his education at the San Francisco, Chicago, and Boston Arts Institutes. His works and mediums are site-specific, ranging from the whimsical to the absurd. He has training and extensive experience in a variety of materials and mediums including carpentry and woodworking, naturally harvested materials, metal and welding, blacksmithing, general construction and contracting etc. His works reflect his intent to create a long-lasting, positive impact with a focus on his immediate community. Gabriel creates each piece unique in form and function.
