Chadric Devin - LENSCRATCH

Chadric Devin by Grant GillMay 12, 2013

Today is the last day of my first co-piloted week of features. In a ploy to use the opportunity for personal gain, I decided to shamelessly feature a friend of mine, Chadric Devin. I met Chadric at the open portfolio walk this year at the SPE national conference. Walking around and viewing all the tables, Chadric’s work stood out to me because of the alternative processes he used. The paper he printed on floated as he showed me his prints one by one. The slow gesture allowed him enough time to speak about the themes in his work in such a delicate and articulate way that it truly moved me. I am proud to share his work with you today. – Grant Gill

Chadric Devin is a Missouri born artist working towards his Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he recently finished his first year. He received his BFA from Northwest Missouri State University and was hired to teach beginning darkroom photography as an adjunct instructor shortly after graduating. Along with his artistic endeavors, Chadric is currently instructor of record at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he teaches introduction to digital photography courses and assists in mid- and upper-level course offerings. He has exhibited nationally and internationally and most recently shown work in Gilbert, AZ and Xi’an, China.

Chadric’s current body of work utilizes printmaking and alternative photographic processes to discuss the intricacy of the filial, social, and cultural relationships between men. He explores these ideas through a variety of materials that range from handmade Japanese paper to nontraditional surfaces, such as athletic tape.

My work addresses the complexity of the years I spent playing basketball, the relationships formed between males, and the interplay of strength and fragility. Boys are generally expected to satisfy social expectations by an unambiguous display of masculinity and gendered physicality. The intricacies of my own bodily participation in athletics effectively represent this paradigm.

My work explores the nature of gender through materials and images that embody both delicacy and strength. The struggle to understand and maintain this balance directly addresses the same complications I faced playing sports and understanding my own identity. Not only has my work constructed an arena, much like the basketball courts I played on growing up, that allows me to physically participate in the act of being male, but it has allowed me to play through the emotional maturation of sexuality and eventually introduced me to the sensualities of masculine identity.