Abigail DeVille

In lieu of a live Speaker Series presentation, we’re sharing this conversation between artist Abigail DeVille and UM Institute for the Humanities Arts Curator Amanda Krugliak, known for performance and conceptual experiential installations.

New York-based artist Abigail DeVille creates immersive works and installations designed to bring attention to forgotten stories, such as with the sculpture she built on the site of a former African American burial ground in Harlem. With family roots reaching back at least two generations, DeVille’s work about New York City is both personal and political. Acting as an archaeologist, DeVille collects and reallocates found materials to give physical presence to unspoken stories and forgotten pasts. Her work often focuses around themes of displacement, migration, marginalization, and cultural invisibility. As an extension of her installation practice, DeVille also designs sets for theatrical productions, including the Stratford Festival in Canada and Harlem Stage. Her work is part of some of the most prestigious collections in the world and has been exhibited internationally, including at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York; the Pinchuk Art Centre in Ukraine; the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York; and the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. An honors fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard, a Creative Capital grantee, and an OBIE Award for Design recipient, DeVille is currently in residence at the American Academy in Rome.

Co-presented with the U‑M Institute for Humanities, presenting No Space Hidden (Under Heaven), an exhibition of work by Abigail DeVille, on view at the IH Gallery April 1 – May 7, 2020. There will be an exhibition reception at the IH Gallery following this event. Additional support for this speaker series event from the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA).