Duke Riley
Duke Riley is fascinated by maritime history and events around urban waterways. His signature style interweaves historical and contemporary events with elements of fiction and myth to create allegorical histories. His re-imagined narratives comment on a range of issues from the cultural impact of over development and environmental destruction of waterfront communities to contradictions within political ideologies and the role of the artist in society. Duke Riley received his BFA from Rhode Island School of Design and his MFA from Pratt Institute.
"My work addresses the tension between individual and collective behavior, independent spaces within all-encompassing societies, and the conflict with institutional power. I examine transgression zones and their inhabitants through drawing, printmaking, mosaic, sculpture, performative interventions, infiltrations, and video structured as complex multimedia installations. I combine populist myths and historical obscurities with contemporary social and environmental dilemmas, connecting past and present, drawing attention to unsolved issues. Throughout my projects I profile the space where water meets the land, traditionally marking the periphery of urban society, what lies beyond rigid moral constructs, a sense of danger and possibility."
To inquire about Duke Riley's available works, please email gallery@praiseshadows.com.
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Punchline
Group Exhibition 7 Jul - 12 Aug 2022Presented by Jane Lombard Gallery, New York and curated by Praise Shadows Art Gallery. Featuring artwork by Jon Burgerman, Reniel Del Rosario, Madeline Donahue, Divya Gadangi, Guerrilla Girls, Garrett Gould,...Read more -
Lovers, Muggers, and Thieves
Solo Exhibition by Duke Riley 4 Feb - 7 Mar 2021After a career spanning decades with museums, galleries, and cultural institutions around the world, Boston-born and raised Duke Riley had his first solo exhibition in his hometown with Lovers, Muggers,...Read more
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Duke Riley's Burlesque Spin on the Trappings of Museum Display and Folk Art
Louis Barry, Hyperallergic, July 27, 2022 -
See Inside Artist Duke Riley's Brooklyn Navy Yard Studio, a Converted Submarine Factory With a Custom-Made Pigeon Coop
Sarah Cascone, Artnet News, July 12, 2022 -
Duke Riley: Grand Master Trash
Melena Ryzik, The New York Times, June 16, 2022 -
Feature in The Sydney Morning Herald: 23rd Biennale of Sydney
John McDonald, The Sydney Morning Herald, March 10, 2022 -
A Boston Artist Returns Home
Madeleine Luckel and Katherine Burns Olson, Architectural Digest, February 5, 2021