It all begins with context
YARA + DAVINA make social practice artwork, creating ambitious public artworks that respond to site, context and audience.
Unfailingly inventive, they use formats from within popular culture to make works which are accessible and playful. Their issue based work is wide ranging, from geo-politics to lessons on love, from knowledge production to mental health. Using formats such as jokes to mini golf and choirs and tattoo parlours, they root their works in the everyday, using a lightness of touch and humour to make works that are both poetic and universal.
Based between the UK and the US, they’ve created artworks for multiple world leading art venues and public organisations such as Tate Modern and Tate Britain, Venice Biennale, BAM (New York), Somerset House, Manchester Art Gallery, Baltic, IKON, National Portrait Gallery, Whitechapel Gallery, Delfina Foundation, INIVA, Camden Council, Studio Museum Harlem, The Victoria & Albert, London, ZKM (Germany), HIAP (Helsinki), Kaunus Art Biennial (Lithuania), Modern Art Oxford, The RCA, Arnolfini, National Maritime Museum, and the ICA.
In 2016 they were joint British Council Artist Fellow’s at Portland State University, exploring ‘Motherhood; A Social Practice’.
Recent joint residencies include Seedbed Residency Programme, In Situ’s (European network for artistic creation in public space) Hothouse programme, in the Netherlands.
Recent Mentions + Interviews
Time Out New York
Time Out New York feature Arrivals + Departures at BAM
Financial Times, UK
FT highlight Arrivals + Departures as part of Brighton Festival.
Brooklyn Paper
The Brooklyn Paper reviews Arrivals + Departures at BAM
Bklyner
Bklyner article on Arrivals + Departures at BAM.
Luxmore Studio
Luxmore Studio interview YARA + DAVINA about how they met, why the work together and the challenges of being mothers and artists.
BBC Front Row
Davina takes part in a panel discussion about public art on Front Row.
Art Review
Arrivals + Departures mentioned in Art Review
Conversation with director of Somerset House
Yara and Davina in conversation with Jonathan Reckie - director of Somerset House
PICKLE
PICKLE Illustration ask Are Two Minds Better Than One?
Royal Docks Festival
James Drury interview the artists about there latest commission for the Royal Docks: YARA + DAVINA’s Pet Balloon Service.
Ritualised Departures: Is a departure and arrivals somewhere else?
Yara joins Dr Maria Nite and Dr Elaine Kasket for the 1 hour panel discussion on the subject for the MK International Festival.
Milton Keynes International Festival
Yara and Davina are interviews about Arrivals + Departures for the MK Festival.
BBC News
BBC interview Davina about Arrivals + Departures at MK Festival.
BBC London
Davina talks to BBC London about Opinion Pole