“End white supremacy culture and its many traces throughout society.”
Name
Rebekah Danae
Profession
Multidisciplinary artist
Website
Where are you from?
I am based in Tulsa, OK and grew up in Midland, TX – the west Texas desert.
Your style in 3 words?
surreal, western, comedic
Your weakness? Your strength?
I have a compulsion to create, a weakness when I put too many irons in the fire and a strength when truly “channeled”.
What makes you different?
I move between various southern American worlds— the cowboy boot making community, the luxury interior design world, the art underground, and cross through traditional lines of race and class that separate many Americans. The walk is uniquely my own and informs the perspective I bring to my work.
When did you decide to become an artist?
To be an artist is my most salient identity. It is something I am and how I must be, much more than something I chose or decided to be, and I also recognize it as an immense privilege to wake up and choose this path again and again each day.
Do you choose your art form, or does the form choose you?
Painting and sewing were the first art forms I had access to, via the supplies in my home/school and my mothers long history of sewing. While obtaining my degree, I was exposed to woodworking and found my way into the leather working community since moving to Oklahoma. A little bit “the mediums found me” and a little bit “I chose them”.
What do you find most fascinating about the creative process?
The moments where you surrender to the process and magic happens through you, around you, and in partnership with others. When you are a part of the creative spiritual dance beyond your own control.
A few words about your favorite creation?
The Blue Boots are the first handmade cowboy boots I made while training under Smitty, Troll, and Randy Mo in Beggs, OK at the historic Blucher Boot Company. The year of making them inspired an entire realm of work— especially in terms of wearable sculpture. I feel like I could write a whole book about The Blue Boots.
Love for self and others.
What surprised you most about your first art shows?
How eager other artists have been to support and help bring concepts/ideas into existence and the many ways the work connects with a wide array of people.
Someone else’s work that inspired or inspires you…
Esmaa Mohamoud’s work is extremely inspiring to me right now, especially after seeing her summer 2023 show at Kavi Gupta in Chicago. She is utilizing wearable sculpture and installation based concepts to speak volumes.
Who would you like to work with someday and why?
I’d love to collaborate with Esmaa— and have an idea that keeps floating through my head if our paths cross on the journey.
A new project coming up or an idea you want to work on?
Currently, I’m launching a Tulsa to Los Angeles residency program for a collective of eight artists, including myself, to create new and experimental pieces throughout 2024, culminating in a group show as “A Creative House”.
Finish the sentence „More important than my career is…“
Love for self and others.
2024: Where are we going?
There is a great deal of mourning and grief in our world today. I hope, towards healing.
Do you think about time as an artist?
Absolutely. Maybe a little too much?
When the going gets tough…
Take a bath and a nap.
Put on your future vision glasses: What direction is our generation moving in, what will our world look like in 50 years?
What are we going to do with all of this future? I don’t have the answer, but I aspire to keep coalitions imagining this daily. The idea of “Oklahoma Futurism” feels, to me, like a critical cultural movement to ensure we have a 50 years from now.
What would you do if you could change the World?
End white supremacy culture and its many traces throughout society.
What does freedom mean when it comes to art?
Time, space, and the resources to create the work you must create.
If the universe is everything and it’s expanding, what is it expanding into?
The unknown.
Tell us about your future plans…
On the agenda: Stewarding the launch of “A Creative House” in Tulsa and Los Angeles, a solo show in Tulsa this October at Positive Space, and a few *not yet announced* projects along the way.
Your city’s favorite spots?
I love to spend time outside of town— in the country, among green rolling hills and the sunset.
A book that everyone should read…
“Insert Complicated Title Here” by Virgil Abloh and Sternberg Press from The Incidents series.
Last but not least: what is your favorite Song?
“Door to the Cosmos” by Sun Ra
One last statement please: „Wood or stone, gold or art?“
Art.
Your #…?
