Davariz Broaden

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Commonly using a muted color palette, Broaden’s paintings distill a soft essence and highlight the importance of love and beauty within the Black community, as well as nostalgic events in the Black experience. Broaden’s flourishing craft pursues the rich tradition of figurative painting, while the warm energy exuded throughout his work manifests itself onto the viewer with ease.

At the heart of Broaden’s practice is a celebration: of his love for painting, of his ability to create freely, of the greater sense of self that comes with age. Within his creations, figures gather in moments of simple joy and togetherness—dancing, playing sports, relaxing, exploring. Honing in on his attempt of “freeing himself” from inherent societal constraints, Broaden combines oil and acrylic paint in his works on canvas and paper, resulting in the emergence of loose brushwork while still managing to remain true to his traditional style of portraiture. 

The artist’s most recent body of work, “Where the Grass is Always Green,” embodies a sense of peace in embarking on a journey. Broaden explains how “as Black children, there is a preconceived notion about the path you’ll take—it’s already determined before you’re even born. This series highlights those children: creating their own paths, being the orchestrators of their own realities, and not being confined to others’ expectations or preexisting ideologies.” Many of the paintings depict young subjects sitting, gazing, or performing an active motion within the comfort of nature. These various acts mimic the different paces of life in which we as a community individually operate: “sometimes we’re full steam ahead, sometimes we just need a moment to sit and reflect, and other times, [we need a moment to] do nothing at all, which can be just as important as any of the others.”

Louis Buhl is thrilled to announce that Broaden has been selected as the inaugural Detroit Tyrrell Winston Art Scholarship artist-in-residence with global clothing brand Stone Island for the 2024/2025 season.

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Selected Works