Artist Devan Shimoyama, a Philadelphia native, will be displaying a new exhibition titled SHIFT, at Rowan University Art Gallery & Museum in New Jersey Jan. 26-March 21. Shimoyama reinvents himself often in his art focusing on fantasy in hand with self expression. SHIFT, as an exhibition, brings new life to the Major Arcana otherwise known as Tarot. This exhibition reimagines the historically iconic imagery of the Major Arcana and incorporates Shimoyama’s identity and communicates these themes through divination and mysticism.
Shimoyama began practicing art in Northeast Philadelphia, Germantown. He grew up creative, inclined to drawing in free time and playing viola and violin. His great grandmother and his mother noticed he would pass time with drawing, and decided to encourage his creativity and enrolled him in classes at University of Arts. In this time, he figured his path would be art, but only started to consider a true career upon attending University at Penn State.
During his time at Penn State, Shimoyama was able to settle into his passion at university while also being exposed to a different atmosphere beyond Philadelphia. During his time at Penn State, Shimoyama recalled Obama’s election year.
“While I was there for the first Black president — I mean — it was incredible,” he said. “It was kind of a peak time. It was very unusual. I’m sure I’d have a very different experience if I were there in 2016 for example.”
After completing his undergrad in drawing/painting at Penn State, Shimoyama pursued a masters degree in Painting/Printmaking at Yale University. He is grateful for mentors who encouraged him to further his education and help him in the process.
Shimoyama currently resides in Pittsburgh, where he spent nine years teaching as a professor at Carnegie Mellon University. His decision to pursue an art career went hand in hand with becoming a professor. Shimoyama explained it offered security and the ability to be a full-time artist simultaneously.
“It’s a lot of reciprocal learning that happens,” Shimoyama said. “You learn a lot from the students there that are actively learning about art and the art world, but then they’re the young people that are bringing new ideas and new ways of thinking into the world.”
The artist believes that an essential part of his teaching lies in art that can be created anywhere, not just in major cities like Los Angeles or New York City.
“I travel a lot, certainly, but I think it’s really important to have people in smaller towns actively engaging with their own city and other organizations there. Being able to bring a broader perspective from other types of experiences out back into the city is something I prided my teaching in.”
Upon establishing SHIFT as an exhibition at Rowan, Shimoyama went to do a class visit and will revisit the students again once his exhibition opens again in February.
“Being someone who has taught extensively, using exhibitions as opportunities for kind of educational experiences as well, is something that really comes naturally to me and I enjoy doing it,” he said.
Shimoyama’s SHIFT exhibition plays around with the bodies of the Major Arcana Tarot deck. Through a lot of individual research, he started to build a foundation for what he wanted this exhibition to communicate.
“I am reimaging tarot card compositions in these large-scale paintings, while also having conversations with Egyptian pantheon themed works,” Shimoyama said. “I am exploring my own understanding of Black queerness and its relationship to alternative historical religious practices.”
The title SHIFT comes from the concept of new meanings and “shape shifting.”
“Looking at drag, and that kind of shift that happens underneath the stage light, where that character comes to life, shape shifting is activated there,” Shimoyama explains. “I’m also looking at shifting of new meanings — the way a Tarot reading goes, where the cards are displayed, and how they speak to each other to create new meaning and new paths in one’s life.”
The artist hopes to communicate how reflection might show up in everyday life experience.
“These different materials can speak to each other and create new questions and new types of conversations and dialogs, and that could be a reflection of something much broader,” he said.
For Shimoyama, this exhibition has been an empowering experience in terms of self directing the exhibit and working inside of Rowan University with their Art Gallery Director Mary Salvante.
“I’m able to work with an institution and I have so much say in which works are selected and how they speak to each other. I have been able to engage in conversations about this work, and it leaves me feeling like I have agency over it all. That has been a really exciting part for me.”
As an artist, Shimoyama feels his art is constantly bringing up more questions and he is always looking to ease his curious mind with finding new ways of communicating the answers with art.
“I am more so happy to share my findings and my interpretations with people, and hope that it kind of circles back into bringing people in and learning more,” he says.
SHIFT presents the results of Shimoyama’s exploration of his favorite genres: epic fantasy and sci-fi.
“I love to try to find more people of color, writing in those fields that kind of subvert the traditional ideas of what fantasy can look like,” Shimoyama said.
The SHIFT exhibition will run Jan. 26-March 21 at Rowan University Art Gallery & Museum, 301 High St W, Glassboro, N.J. There will be an opening reception featuring a discussion with artist Devan Shimoyama from 5-7 p.m. on Feb. 4. Admission is free to the public.
