Devan Shimoyama USA, b. 1989

Stay Still is part of Devan Shimoyama’s Barbershop series, which revolves around a fictitious barbershop where Black individuals can fully express themselves in their masculinity and femininity in a safe and welcoming way. The title Stay Still is a nod towards the largest painting Shimoyama had previously made as part of this series, which was titled Sit Still. That painting was featured in Shimoyama’s solo exhibition Cry Baby at The Warhol Museum. For this portrait, he wanted to give another large scale view of the Barbershop that gave more context about the physical space. The products on the shelf, like the olive oil spray, Pomade, the hairbrush pick—those are things Shimoyama says he thinks about in the barbershop when he’s there. “For me what was interesting about making this portrait is that it felt a lot more freeing,” Shimoyama says. There was an ease to it. I went back to the barbershop I used to go to when I started the series. They’ve done a whole renovation, and there are women working there. It feels like a more inclusive environment. It’s been nice to see how things have grown and expanded.”