Danielle
(Dede) Brown (born 1984, Freeport, The Bahamas) is a Bahamian painter, sculptor
and photographer whose work examines emotionally charged narratives and symbolism.
Inspired by fashion photography and 'the
gaze', Brown's artwork draws subtle influence from her freelance work as a
photographer and illustrator.
Brown
developed a keen interest in art during her high school years in Nassau,
leading her to study interior design at the Savannah College of Art and Design
in 2002. After discovering photography, she pursued a minor in the field to accompany her 2006 BFA in Interior Design.
Despite her love for the craft, Brown nonetheless felt more confident in her
design abilities, moving home to The Bahamas in 2007 to work fulltime as an
interior designer at a local architecture and design firm.
While
working with the company, Brown continued to develop her artistic practice at a
jointly shared studio space with Dylan Rapillard in Popopstudios International
Center for the Visual Arts. In 2008, she
took home the first prize in the Central Bank of The Bahamas Annual Art
Competition and followed the victory with her first major exhibition of
paintings in 2009 at the Central Bank of The Bahamas Gallery with Rapillard. Simultaneously, Brown continued to develop
her skill as a photographer.
Her personal
passion for painting and photography soon grew into a dream career and in 2010—burgeoned
by a grant by the Nassau Airport Development Company for a major art
installation at the newly renovated Lynden Pindling International Airport—she
quit her nine-to-five to pursue art, design and photography full time.
In 2011 Brown
embarked on a three-month residency at the Colchester and Ipswich Museums in
Ipswich, England as part of 'Stories of the World', a London 2012 Culture
Olympiad Program presenting museum exhibitions that spotlight young artists and
cross-cultural exchanges. During her time at the Ipswich School of Art, she
explored painting and sculpture through hybrid costume construction, navigating
what identity means within the context of a nation.
In 2012, her photograph Absolut Party won the Absolut Art Ambition competition held at the
D’Aguilar Art Foundation.
In 2013,
following a very successful exhibition featuring flamingoes the Central Bank, the
artist completed an ambitious art installation of 75
life-size flamingoes taking off for flight in the newly renovated international
airport in Nassau. Excited to challenge herself with new
materials like aluminum to complete the project, she’s expanded her artistic
practice to include sculpture.
Brown's work has been
exhibited in The Bahamas and the United States of America, and is part of
several private and public collections. She currently works out of Popopstudios
International Center for the Visual Arts.