Jessica Silverman
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Davina Semo: A Serious Celebration

Davina Semo: A Serious Celebration

January 9-February 22, 2025

Jessica Silverman is proud to present Davina Semo’s “A Serious Celebration,” a solo show of new sculptures, on view from January 9 to February 22, 2025. The show focuses on the hanging bronze bells that have been part of the artist’s oeuvre since 2017. Semo’s bells are clever and artful. They have a significant presence but take up no floor space. They’re heavy but defy gravity. They’re silent, and yet they can disrupt conversations. Ever aware, they face all directions at once. For “A Serious Celebration,” Semo has delved further into her favored form, exploring new materials, shapes, paints, patinas, clappers, and strike tones.

INSTALLATION VIEW
SELECTED WORKS
ARTIST BIO
OTHER EXHIBITIONS

INSTALLATION VIEW

Installation View Installation View Installation View Installation View Installation View

SELECTED WORKS

Davina Semo
Pearl, 2024
Cast bronze bell, UV-protected 3-stage catalyzed urethane automotive finish, leather-wrapped solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, polished stainless steel hardware, powder-coated stainless steel hardware, and powder-coated zinc plated steel chain
10 1/4 x 7 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches / 26 x 19.1 x 19.1 cm
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Davina Semo, Pearl
Davina Semo
Cocoon, 2024
Cast bronze bell, UV-protected 3-stage catalyzed urethane automotive finish, leather-wrapped solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, polished stainless steel hardware, powder-coated stainless steel hardware, powder coated zinc-plated steel chain
34 1/2 x 18 x 18 inches / 87.6 x 45.7 x 45.7 cm
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Davina Semo, Cocoon
Davina Semo
Lifeline, 2024
Polished and patinated cast bronze bell, leather-wrapped solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, powder-coated stainless steel hardware, powder coated zinc plated steel chain
21 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches / 54.6 x 21.6 cm
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Davina Semo, Lifeline
Davina Semo
Flourish, 2024
Patinated cast bronze bell, SLA 3D-printed with white ABS-like resin, leather-wrapped solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, powder-coated stainless steel hardware, brass hardware, and powder-coated galvanized steel chain
33 x 13 x 13 inches / 83.8 x 33 x 33 cm
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Davina Semo, Flourish
Davina Semo
Delight, 2024
Polished and patinated cast bronze bell, leather-wrapped solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, powder-coated stainless steel hardware, and powder-coated zinc-plated steel chain
33 x 13 x 13 inches / 83.8 x 33 x 33 cm
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Davina Semo, Delight
Davina Semo
Lifeline, 2024
Polished and patinated cast bronze bell, leather-wrapped solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, powder-coated stainless steel hardware, powder coated zinc plated steel chain
21 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches / 54.6 x 21.6 cm
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Davina Semo, Lifeline
Davina Semo
Flourish, 2024
Patinated cast bronze bell, SLA 3D-printed with white ABS-like resin, leather-wrapped solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, powder-coated stainless steel hardware, brass hardware, and powder-coated galvanized steel chain
33 x 13 x 13 inches / 83.8 x 33 x 33 cm
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Davina Semo, Flourish
Davina Semo
Delight, 2024
Polished and patinated cast bronze bell, leather-wrapped solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, powder-coated stainless steel hardware, and powder-coated zinc-plated steel chain
33 x 13 x 13 inches / 83.8 x 33 x 33 cm
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Davina Semo, Delight
Bells developed in neolithic China and then in the Fertile Crescent of the Middle East. They were initially used to keep track of sheep in newfound agrarian societies. An archeological moment later, bells were summoning people to quit the fields and gather for rituals. Their ancient public announcement functions survive to this day in the form of doorbells and wedding bells. After hailing arrivals, bells began to ring out the time, synchronizing the activities of those living within earshot. Indeed, the word “clock” derives from the Latin cloca, which means bell.
Davina Semo
Bewitch, 2024
Polished and patinated cast bronze bell, leather-wrapped solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, powder-coated stainless steel hardware, and powder-coated zinc-plated steel chain
23 1/2 x 18 x 18 inches / 59.7 x 45.7 x 45.7 cm
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Davina Semo, Bewitch
Davina Semo
Transfix, 2024
Patinated cast bronze bell, leather-wrapped solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, powder-coated stainless steel hardware, and powder-coated zinc plated steel chain
26 1/2 x 18 1/2 x 18 1/2 inches / 67.3 x 46.36 x 46.36 cm
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Davina Semo, Transfix
Davina Semo
Enamor, 2024
Polished and patinated cast bronze bell, solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, powder-coated stainless steel hardware, powder-coated zinc plated steel chain
11 x 6 3/4 x 6 3/4 inches / 27.9 x 17.1 x 17.1 cm
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Davina Semo, Enamor
Davina Semo
Bewitch, 2024
Polished and patinated cast bronze bell, leather-wrapped solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, powder-coated stainless steel hardware, and powder-coated zinc-plated steel chain
23 1/2 x 18 x 18 inches / 59.7 x 45.7 x 45.7 cm
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Davina Semo, Bewitch
Davina Semo
Transfix, 2024
Patinated cast bronze bell, leather-wrapped solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, powder-coated stainless steel hardware, and powder-coated zinc plated steel chain
26 1/2 x 18 1/2 x 18 1/2 inches / 67.3 x 46.36 x 46.36 cm
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Davina Semo, Transfix
Davina Semo
Enamor, 2024
Polished and patinated cast bronze bell, solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, powder-coated stainless steel hardware, powder-coated zinc plated steel chain
11 x 6 3/4 x 6 3/4 inches / 27.9 x 17.1 x 17.1 cm
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Davina Semo, Enamor
Davina Semo
Enchant, 2024
Patinated cast bronze bell, leather-wrapped solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, powder-coated stainless steel hardware, and powder coated zinc-plated steel chain
19 1/2 x 15 x 15 inches / 49.5 x 38.1 x 38.1 cm
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Davina Semo, Enchant
Davina Semo
Queen Bee, 2024
Patinated cast bronze bell, leather wrapped solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, powder coated stainless steel hardware, powder coated zinc plated steel chain
17 x 12 1/4 x 12 1/4 inches / 43.2 x 31.1 x 31.1 cm
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Davina Semo, Queen Bee
Although metal bells have been around for 4000 years, Semo’s works often shine with newness (like Delight and Copper Look Out) or speak the language of science fiction with ethereal layers of translucent paint, as Cocoon and Pacific do. When Semo chases a patina down a rabbit hole, her bells can feel antediluvian, like Talisman, or vaguely medieval as in Babble. Other works are oddly timeless. Entice and Spellbind, for instance, combine novel crocheted surfaces with colors long associated with oxidization. Enamor and Enchant, as their titles suggest, allude to the strangely natural or supernatural. With thoughtful dexterity, Semo uses these longstanding tellers of time as opportunities to comment on the history of texture and the subtleties of reflection.
Davina Semo
Immortal, 2024
Polished and patinated cast bronze bell, leather-wrapped solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, powder-coated stainless steel hardware, powder coated zinc plated steel chain
21 3/4 x 8 3/4 x 8 3/4 inches / 55.2 x 22.2 x 22.2 cm
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Davina Semo, Immortal
Davina Semo
Galaxy, 2024
Polished and patinated cast bronze bell, patinated solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, leather cord, powder-coated stainless steel chain and hardware
15 x 10 1/4 x 10 1/4 inches / 38.1 x 26 x 26 cm
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Davina Semo, Galaxy
Davina Semo
Entice, 2024
Patinated cast bronze bell, leather-wrapped solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, powder-coated stainless steel hardware, and powder-coated zinc plated steel chain
18 1/2 x 9 x 9 inches / 47 x 22.9 x 22.9 cm
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Davina Semo, Entice
Davina Semo
Immortal, 2024
Polished and patinated cast bronze bell, leather-wrapped solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, powder-coated stainless steel hardware, powder coated zinc plated steel chain
21 3/4 x 8 3/4 x 8 3/4 inches / 55.2 x 22.2 x 22.2 cm
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Davina Semo, Immortal
Davina Semo
Galaxy, 2024
Polished and patinated cast bronze bell, patinated solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, leather cord, powder-coated stainless steel chain and hardware
15 x 10 1/4 x 10 1/4 inches / 38.1 x 26 x 26 cm
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Davina Semo, Galaxy
Davina Semo
Entice, 2024
Patinated cast bronze bell, leather-wrapped solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, powder-coated stainless steel hardware, and powder-coated zinc plated steel chain
18 1/2 x 9 x 9 inches / 47 x 22.9 x 22.9 cm
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Davina Semo, Entice
Semo’s sculptures also embrace the importance of bells as musical instruments with a range of deep, full chimes. Their tonal scales are one of the reasons why bells are often clustered in groups. Big Ben, for example, which is housed in the clock tower of London’s Houses of Parliament, hangs with four other bells that ring out the quarter hours. In pursuit of greater sonic variation, Semo made six of her ceiling-mounted works in a traditional bell foundry, which casts in loam (not wax) and uses a bronze alloy with a higher tin content. The distinct visual personalities of Semo’s bells reverberate in the acoustic realm. As Shakespeare once wrote, “He hath a heart as sound as a bell, and his tongue is the clapper; for what his heart thinks, his tongue speaks.”
Davina Semo
Heirloom, 2024
Patinated cast bronze bell, leather-wrapped solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, powder-coated stainless steel hardware, and powder-coated zinc plated steel chain
26 1/2 x 18 1/2 x 18 1/2 inches / 67.3 x 46.36 x 46.36 cm
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Davina Semo, Heirloom
Davina Semo
Outpour, 2024
Polished and patinated cast bronze bell, leather-wrapped solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, powder-coated stainless steel hardware, and powder-coated zinc-plated steel chain
21 x 20 x 20 inches / 53.3 x 50.8 x 50.8 cm
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Davina Semo, Outpour
Davina Semo
Talisman, 2024
Patinated cast bronze bell, patinated solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, powder-coated stainless steel hardware, powder coated zinc plated steel chain
11 x 6 3/4 x 6 3/4 inches / 27.9 x 17.1 x 17.1 cm
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Davina Semo, Talisman
Davina Semo
Heirloom, 2024
Patinated cast bronze bell, leather-wrapped solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, powder-coated stainless steel hardware, and powder-coated zinc plated steel chain
26 1/2 x 18 1/2 x 18 1/2 inches / 67.3 x 46.36 x 46.36 cm
INQUIRE
Davina Semo, Heirloom
Davina Semo
Outpour, 2024
Polished and patinated cast bronze bell, leather-wrapped solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, powder-coated stainless steel hardware, and powder-coated zinc-plated steel chain
21 x 20 x 20 inches / 53.3 x 50.8 x 50.8 cm
INQUIRE
Davina Semo, Outpour
Davina Semo
Talisman, 2024
Patinated cast bronze bell, patinated solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, powder-coated stainless steel hardware, powder coated zinc plated steel chain
11 x 6 3/4 x 6 3/4 inches / 27.9 x 17.1 x 17.1 cm
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Davina Semo, Talisman
The exhibition also features large bronze wall works, which are the sculptor’s idiosyncratic response to both abstract expressionist “action painting” and the legacy of mirrors, which were made from polished copper and bronze until the Romans invented glass mirrors in the first century CE. Magic Mirror is a large-scale work consisting of eight gleaming bronze panels punctuated with patinated circles. Reflecting Faces, meanwhile, consists of twelve polished bronze disks arranged in the round like the numbers on a clock. Manifestations rather than representations of time, these bas-relief “paintings” are alive with Semo’s artistic process. They encourage us to reflect on reflections and consider our patterns of looking.
Davina Semo
Bloom, 2022
Polished stainless steel bell, polished stainless steel and powder-coated stainless steel hardware, leather-wrapped patinated solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, and powder-coated galvanized steel chain
33 x 13 1/2 x 13 1/2 inches / 83.8 x 34.3 x 34.3 cm
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Davina Semo, Bloom
Davina Semo
Landscape, 2019-2024
Patinated cast bronze bell, whipped nylon line, wooden clapper, powder-coated chain, hardware
32 x 13 inches / 81.3 x 33 cm
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Davina Semo, Landscape
Davina Semo
Copper Lookout, 2024
Polished and patinated cast bronze bell, solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, powder-coated stainless steel hardware, powder-coated zinc-plated steel chain
10 1/4 x 7 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches / 26 x 19.1 x 19.1 cm
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Davina Semo, Copper Lookout
Davina Semo
In Touch, 2024
Polished and patinated cast bronze bell, solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, powder-coated stainless steel hardware, and powder-coated zinc plated steel chain
10 1/4 x 7 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches / 26 x 19.1 x 19.1 cm
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Davina Semo, In Touch
Davina Semo
Constellate, 2024
Polished and patinated cast bronze bell, leather-wrapped solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, powder-coated stainless steel hardware, powder-coated zinc plated steel chain
19 1/2 x 15 x 15 inches / 49.5 x 38.1 x 38.1 cm
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Davina Semo, Constellate
Davina Semo
Copper Lookout, 2024
Polished and patinated cast bronze bell, solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, powder-coated stainless steel hardware, powder-coated zinc-plated steel chain
10 1/4 x 7 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches / 26 x 19.1 x 19.1 cm
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Davina Semo, Copper Lookout
Davina Semo
In Touch, 2024
Polished and patinated cast bronze bell, solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, powder-coated stainless steel hardware, and powder-coated zinc plated steel chain
10 1/4 x 7 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches / 26 x 19.1 x 19.1 cm
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Davina Semo, In Touch
Davina Semo
Constellate, 2024
Polished and patinated cast bronze bell, leather-wrapped solid bronze clapper, hemp shibari rope, powder-coated stainless steel hardware, powder-coated zinc plated steel chain
19 1/2 x 15 x 15 inches / 49.5 x 38.1 x 38.1 cm
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Davina Semo, Constellate
Semo enjoys the alchemy of creation, melting and pouring a hot fluid that becomes rock-solid as it cools. “The process is always a revelation,” she explains. “I love the physicality and the sense of being grounded in realness.” In an age of disembodied artificial intelligence and augmented realities that fade in a day, the materiality and longevity of Semo’s sculptures offer respite from the distracting froth of contemporary communications.
Davina Semo
Magic Mirror, 2024
Polished and patinated cast bronze
54 3/4 x 82 1/2 x 1 inches / 139.1 x 209.6 x 2.5 cm
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Davina Semo, Magic Mirror
Davina Semo
Looking Glass, 2024
Polished and painted cast bronze
54 3/4 x 41 1/4 x 1 inches / 139.1 x 104.8 x 2.5 cm
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Davina Semo, Looking Glass
Davina Semo
Reflecting Faces, 2024
Polished and patinated cast bronze
67 x 67 x 1 inches / 170.2 x 170.2 x 2.5 cm
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Davina Semo, Reflecting Faces

ARTIST BIO

Davina Semo (b. 1981, Washington DC) has a BA in Visual Arts and Creative Writing from Brown University and an MFA from University of California, San Diego. Semo has been awarded many public commissions, including “Reverberation” at Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 1, New York, organized by Public Art Fund (2021), and an installation of three large bells at Powder Mountain, the outdoor art park founded by Reed Hastings, Netflix co-founder, in Eden, Utah (forthcoming in 2025). Semo is the subject of a solo exhibition at SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah, GA in 2025. She has previously enjoyed a solo at the di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art, Napa, and numerous group exhibitions at MCA Denver, CO; Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, CA; CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Art, San Francisco; Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco; SOMArts, San Francisco; White Columns, New York; and the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington D.C. Her work is included in collections at the Davis Museum at Wellesley College, MA; the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington DC; and the Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College, Claremont, CA. Semo lives and works in Los Angeles.

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