Barnes

Devynn Barnes is an Oakland-based painter and visual archivist. Having begun her creative pursuits in film and photography, Barnes’ self-taught painting is cinematic, infused with undeniable emotion.

Zooming in and out of focus as she plays with detail and looseness of definition, the moments captured through paint, film and photo take on an ethereal nature existing across time.

As a queer Black artist, they seek to illuminate the unspoken truths that reside within the archives of the past. By melding documentation with artistic expression, they invite viewers to confront their own narratives, encouraging a collective awakening, communal (melanated) homecoming and admittance to our interconnected archives.

solo exhibitions

2024 REMNANTS OF REVERIE - Theresa Brockett Collections - SF, CA

2024 RENAISSANCE OF RECLAMATION - Schlaumer Haus Gallery - SF, CA

group exhibitions

2024 SAVED YOU A SPOT - Arrived Collective - Oakland, CA

2024 ECHOES OF THE NEW FRONTIER II - Col Gallery - SF, CA

2024 ECHOES OF THE NEW FRONTIER - Col Gallery - SF, CA

2024 MANE ‘N TAIL - Casemore Gallery - SF, CA

2024 COMPLEX COMPLEXIONS - SFLGBT Center - SF, CA

2023 QUEER KICKS - Schlaumer Haus Gallery @ COMPLEXCON - Long Beach, CA

2023 BEYOND TIME - Wolfpack Studios - Oakland, CA

2023 ARRIVED COLLECTIVE x Brooklyn - Brooklyn, NY

2023 THE FEELS 7 - Featured Artist - Seattle, WA

2023 ART IN BLOOM - Black Girls Greenhouse - Oakland, CA

2022 WHAT DO YOU SEE? - Hey Neighbor Cafe - SF, CA

2021 THE FEELS 5 - The Feels Foundation - Virtual showcase

2019 THE FEELS 3 - The Feels Foundation - Seattle, WA

2018 THE FEELS 2 - The Feels Foundation - Seattle, WA

artist talks

2024 Panel discussion - Black@ Presents: Black Imagination, Agency, and Ownership - Airbnb

2024 Panel discussion - Black Cowboys, Black Art - MoAD x Oakland Public Library

Updated JAN ‘25

UPDATED NOV. 2023

Oakland Black Cowboy Parade – 2023

Juneteenth in Oakland – 2023

Oakland Black Cowboy Parade – 2023