INTRO: New Materialism, Afrofuturism, and revisionist history are all radical forms of agency and authorship that allow artists to reconceive truth beyond the binary of “fact” and “fiction.” Abigail DeVille brilliantly engages all three, working in the interface of matter and metaphysics, fantasy and archive, the canonical and the heretical. Excavating what she calls the “invisible histories” buried by racism, neglect, and greed, her architectonic assemblages explore various sites through materials salvaged from archives and dumpsters alike. Ongoing themes in her work include the legacy of slavery in communities of color, patterns of cultural migration and gentrification, the rhetorical power of historical monuments, and the aesthetics of “yard art.” In her current exhibition at Pioneer Works (part of the three-person show Brand New Heavies), these themes are manifest through the potent symbol of the US Capitol Building, which was attacked earlier this year by anti-democratic forces.
https://bombmagazine.org/articles/fault-lines-abigail-deville-interviewed/