Damon Locks: We Are Our People / Listen To This

In Gallery I and II, Goldfinch proudly presents We Are Our People/Listen to This, a two-part solo exhibition of new mixed-media works from Chicago-based artist Damon Locks. We Are Our People/Listen to This marks Locks' third solo exhibition at Goldfinch.

In Gallery I, We Are Our People showcases a series of mixed-media works where Locks uses a blend of ink, pencil, and collage elements on wood panels to create intricate, layered narratives. Each piece emphasizes the individuality of its subjects, drawing attention to how each portrait interacts within the collective. "The hand remains distinctly present in the gesture of the mark-making," Locks notes, while the dynamic interplay of heavy marks and collaged materials invokes a sense of movement--like a poem that reveals more with each recitation--prompting viewers to consider how connections between forms allow for expression and weight. The exhibition's title derives from a piece of writing that Locks began performing during music shows in late 2024, as politics, death, and hatred took on a more tsunami-like presence in the United States.

In Gallery II, Listen to This features hand-drawn collages that emerged from the comic and graphic novel-making classes Locks taught at Stateville Correctional Center. This body of work transcends traditional comic forms, encouraging viewers to explore fractured narratives and abstract expressions. "These pieces became visual analogs to my sonic adventures, hence the title," Locks shares, illustrating how his artistic practice merges visual and auditory elements. The collages are rich with layered meanings, mirroring the complexity of the stories he encountered while teaching. 

Damon Locks: We Are Our People/Listen to This runs March 23 through May 3, 2025. The exhibition's opening reception takes place on Sunday, March 23 from 2-5pm. A conversation between Damon Locks and Andres L. Hernandez takes place on Saturday, May 3 at 1pm, with a closing reception to follow.

Artist's Bio

Damon Locks is a Chicago-based visual artist, educator, and vocalist/musician. He attended the Art Institute of Chicago where he received his BFA in fine arts. Since 2014 he has been working with the Prisons and Neighborhood Arts Project at Stateville Correctional Center teaching art. He is a 2025 recipient of the Creative Capital Award. In 2017 he became a Soros Justice Media Fellow. He received the Helen Coburn Meier and Tim Meier Achievement Award in the Arts in 2015. In 2019, he became a 3Arts Awardee. He spent 4 years as an artist in residence as a part of the Museum of Contemporary Arts’ SPACE Program, introducing civically engaged art into the curriculum at Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy High School. He teaches Improvisation in the Sound Department at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. As well as being a solo musician, Damon leads the Black Monument Ensemble, is a member of New Future City Radio, Exploding Star Orchestra and co-founded the band The Eternals.

We Are Our People

--Damon Locks

How to keep moving while others don't matter and I don't really matter in the whole scheme of things 

When people have gone missing 

Or worse they're NOT missing 

They are just not existing

They are simply gone

THREAT is the framework

It's the justification

For death and incarceration 

We try to keep the smoke at bay

But understand these are people

Yes they are OUR people 

Because we are OUR people

And we ALL should survive 

In this horror movie

We expect that there are losses

We accept there are losses

And the killer must kill

Our goal is endurance

To survive to the credits

And hope that they let us

But that's not how things should be done 

So when you hear of that woman on the south side of Chicago that no one has heard from for several days

When you hear of the people crushed by military destruction with weapons bombarding and no hope of escape

When you hear of that person lost to the system serving a sentence that extends well past their last day

When you hear of the people in desperate need of assistance they just keep on shouting and no attention is paid

Understand these are people

Yes they are OUR people 

Because we are OUR people

And we ALL should survive 

So, how to keep moving while others don't matter and I don't really matter in the whole scheme of things

Can you keep playing on 

While the tape is rewinding

And the ache is reminding 

The pain of terrible things 

It's impossible to process

This work in progress

We MUST MAKE collective effort 

To progress to the next stage 

So move with intention

And choose a direction 

To treat the infection 

Because we breathe that smoke every day

And understand these are people

Yes they are OUR people 

Because we are OUR people

And we ALL should survive

Understand these are people

Yes they are OUR people 

Because we are OUR people

And we should ALL stay alive