Dominique Clayton

Dominique Clayton is an arts consultant, writer, and gallerist born and raised in Los Angeles. Clayton is the founder of Dominique Gallery, a storefront turned pop-up exhibition and online program which showcases and advises emerging artists with a focus on marginalized artists and artists raising families. In addition to the gallery, Clayton also serves on the curatorial and programming committee of Destination Crenshaw, a forthcoming outdoor art museum and arts program based in the historic Crenshaw community of Los Angeles. Clayton previously worked as Manager of the Founding Director’s office at The Broad and later as an interim director at Jeffrey Deitch Gallery. Her arts writing has been featured in publications including Cultured Magazine, LALA Magazine, Artsy, Sugarcane Magazine, Blavity, and her own forthcoming Black Arts Diary.

Mike Reesé

b. 1990, lives and works in Los Angeles, CA.

“Mike’s work has a nostalgia and playfulness that takes me to a simpler time in life. I love the incorporation of fantasy and figuration which conveys a story of youthful wonder and emotion. Similarly, his use of mixed media and found and repurposed objects like taxidermy insects beautifully signals a transfer of life from nature onto the canvas. I often think of art as an extension of our quotidian experiences, archived in innovative ways to bring us back to center, and Mike does this brilliantly.”

Artwork Image: Love Matters, 2022. Acrylic, watercolor, and flashe on stretched canvas. 64 x 42 x 1 1/2 in.

Lauren Carly Shaw

b. 1986, Ridgewood, NJ. Lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. 2016 MFA, San Francisco Art Institute. 2010 BFA, School of Visual Arts, New York.

“I was immediately drawn to Lauren’s work because of the hair and body shapes. There’s something absurd and bizarre in the work that feels rather timely, given the chaos of our current climate and the ongoing attacks against women and their rights. The positioning and placement of her sculptures feels so familiar and approachable as most women I know, myself included, have found themselves in these physical and mental states of anger, confusion, reflection, and rest. I’m very much interested in sculpture lately, and Lauren’s sculptural assemblage is incredibly innovative and touching.”

Artwork Image: Hair Lady (seated strawberry blonde), 2016 synthetic hair, cardboard. 34 x 29 x 26 in.

Hana Ward

b. 1989, Los Angeles, CA. Lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. 2011 BA, Brown University, Providence, RI.

“Hana’s paintings are beautifully poetic. I love how she plays with setting, placing figures either in open outdoor space or in intimate domestic interiors while keeping the same mood and introspection. The oscillation between inside and outside signifies a longing and teleportation between environments. I see myself in her paintings, which instantly draws me in, and I like to believe she sees me too. There’s an emotional exchange I feel while looking at her work and I also love how she brings her figures into another dimension with the ceramic works. Together, all of her work feels deeply smart and poignant.”

Artwork Image: Provision Gardens, 2024. Oil on linen. 72 x 54 x 1 1/2 in.