Praz-Delavallade Los Angeles is pleased to present I Never Really Knew You,” a six-artist group exhibition curated by Mashonda Tifrere. I Never Really Knew You” features works from artists Tonia Calderon, Swoon, Dionne Simpson, Malik Roberts, Amani Lewis + Mazi Smazi, and Calvin Clausell Jr. The exhibition will open on 11 May and run through 1 June 2024. I Never Really Knew You,” revolves around the many layers of the ego and serves as a visual journal that offers a story of self-awakening and truth. Spanning various genres and mediums, viewer are invited into the minds of the artists, highlighting their individual creative processes, growth, vision, and diverse voices. “Our mental, emotional, and physical health are all victims of the lies our ego-selves whisper in our minds,” Tifrere said. “The ego is the master of disguise. But once you witness the ego, you realize that it never really existed. We are actually in control of our human story and that the only way to reveal our truths is by removing our masks and the many layers of fear they hide. Each work in this exhibition is a testament to the transformative power of self-realization to align us with life's potential wonders.” - Praz-Delavallade is proud to present M.U.S.E. Miss. Understood. Sensuality. Economized, a solo exhibition by Lanise Howard, curated by Moshanda Tifrere. The work contained in M.U.S.E. challenges the narratives that are thrust upon women in various forms of media, all centered around a multi-linear narrative. Originally inspired by the unique burst of black culture from the late ’60s and ’70s, elements of the blaxploitation movement in film, as well as particular tropes in film and music and as a part of the urban environment. The idea of the Diva, the Ingenue, the Fem-fatale and the Muse are explored and revealed. Howard shares, “I infused these narratives with pieces that connect to my own story, as well as my family history and recurring dreams to create a narrative that is new and lies in its own universe. A story that aims to give power back to women who were often led astray." Interested in the creation of an analogous world, where hidden histories, personal allegories, and various periods of time merge, Lanise's work ranges from portraiture, to large allegorical figurative paintings. The work often lies in-between differing states of being. She aims to create new spaces through paint, where the viewer can become transported. In this creation of an analogous world; Lanise was originally interested in re-writing a narrative where black figures were thriving and meeting new challenges, as though they were chameleons, ebbing and changing with every new obstacle. Therefore, the thinking was that this place would be a space of new possibility. The idea of change then becomes an element of the work. Her work often presents hypotheses and tries to offer possible answers, through engagement and inquiry. Lanise Howard, The Green Door, 2024, oil on canvas, 36 x 48 in (91.4 x 121.9 cm)