Condition By My Designer will be available as a live auction piece at Cocktails for KID smART!
Sponsors and Patron Ticket holders are eligible to receive a high-quality giclée print of Neighborhood Watch.
Devin "Cypher" Dennis (b. 1987, New Orleans, LA) is a self-taught American figurative and contemporary artist, as well as a former recording artist and songwriter. Raised in New Orleans, Cypher was introduced to creative expression early on through the influence of his grandmother and uncle, both of whom were involved in the city's renowned "Ya-Ya" art enrichment program during the 1990s.
His visual work is rooted in a raw, expressive methodology he calls Freedom! -a visceral interplay of giving, taking, pain, chaos, and sacrifice. This process is a direct reflection of his personal history, cultural heritage, and the emotional weight of displacement.
In 2005, after evacuating to Houston due to Hurricane Katrina, Cypher pivoted toward a professional music career, collaborating with artists such as Curren$y, G-Eazy, Ambré Perkins, and Ty Dolla $ign. Eventually, he returned to his first love-visual art-where he began to translate his life experiences, childhood memories, and political consciousness into compelling visual narratives.
Working across mixed media, collage, figurative and abstract forms, Cypher's work explores the dualities of the modern Black experience in the Deep South and the broader context of marginalized people worldwide. His pieces pulse with curiosity, resistance, and remembrance-bridging the past and present through layers of texture, emotion, and truth.
Artist Statement:
My work is built from memories, both mine and those passed down. I explore the complexity of the Black experience, centering themes of childhood, trauma, survival, and joy. Every piece I create is layered—literally and emotionally—pulling from materials like magazine cutouts, iron-on patches, cotton undershirts, and even debris or the heel of a Nine West shoe. These elements carry history, weight, and narrative.
As an artist, I want my work to connect. I want people to see it and feel something. I want them to remember a detail that won't leave them, or a collage pattern that shifts their perspective. My goal is always to leave a lasting impression-one that invites reflection, connection, and a deeper curiosity.