ARTIST STATEMENT

BY: DAMARI “DISKO” BUTLER

In this body of work, I explore the ways I have searched for myself through other people. Through dating and connection, I found myself looking for clarity in others… hoping they could reflect back the parts of me I didn’t fully understand on my own. Each interaction became a mirror, revealing not just what was shared, but what was missing. The table becomes a central space in this work, a place where I meet others, but also where I unknowingly meet myself. Sometimes I arrive full. Sometimes I arrive searching. As the series unfolds, I begin to recognize that what I was seeking external validation, grounding, understanding were things I had not fully given to myself.

This work is about that realization.
About turning inward.
Understanding that connection can reveal you, but it cannot define you. Because in the end, what we bring to the table isn’t just what we offer others it’s who we are when we finally sit with ourselves.