Donavon Smallwood: Languor

Marshall Gallery presents a project room salon of Donavon Smallwood’s award-winning portfolio, Languor. Smallwood’s project takes a quiet and intimate look at New York’s Central Park during the lockdown era of the pandemic.

Calling it an ode to the history of Central Park, in "Languor" Smallwood balances glowing youthful portraits with the Park's dense foliage while visualizing escapism and a longing for home in an intimate, award-winning portfolio. Beneath the surface is a deeper reflection on the history of Seneca Village, the area running along what is now West 82nd-89th Streets and was a safe haven community predominantly for African Americans in the mid-19th Century. 

With the pandemic at hand and the history of Seneca Village in mind, Smallwood created photographs of tentative comfort and appreciation as an examination of nature, home, tranquility, and escape. Languor is currently on view at Pier 24 Photography, San Francisco as part of their finale exhibition “Turning the Page” celebrating impactful photo books throughout the history of photography including Smallwood’s which was published by Trespasser Books and received the Aperture 2021 Portfolio Prize. 

Donavon Smallwood is a graduate of Hunter College. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, most recently at Foam and Galerie Wouter van Leeuwen, Amsterdam. His photographs are included in international collections including the Rijksmuseum. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2021 Aperture Portfolio Prize. Periodical features and editorial clients include The Atlantic, The New York Times, The New Yorker, and The Guardian.