“I believe Carmen, Ron, and Diedrick, are shining examples of the vast constellation of creativity that drives our city. I appreciate how thoughtful and incredibly dedicated they are to their crafts and how labor intensive their respective practices are. Diedrick weaves worlds with his fingertips, Ron flips the biblical script with his new age theatrical productions and Carmen’s sculptures and installations hold the most profound notions of “home.” 

-Erin Christovale

Diedrick Brackens constructs intricately woven textiles that speak to the complexities of black and queer identity in the United States. Interlacing diverse traditions including West African weaving, European tapestries, and quilting in the American south, Brackens creates cosmographic abstractions and figurative narratives that lyrically merge a confluence of lived experience, commemoration, and allegory. He uses both commercial dyes as well as unconventional colorants such as wine, tea, and bleach, often foregrounding the loaded symbolism of his materials such as cotton, with its links to the transatlantic slave trade.

Brackens has shown at the New Museum, the Hammer Museum, Various Small Fires, and Steve Turner Gallery.

Brackens is the recipient of the 2019 Marciano Artadia Awardee.