Biography
Born in Athens, GA (1979) and raised in Jacksonville, FL, Otha Davis III also known as Vakseen is a self-taught, museum-exhibited artist and a multi-platinum music producer/songwriter. While working on hit records as a music executive/producer has played a driving force in his career, Vakseen has been an active realist painter since moving to Los Angeles in 2011. Known for his Vanity Pop, collage-influenced paintings, his artwork has been exhibited by the Ontario Museum of History & Art, Brownsville Museum of Fine Art, Spectrum Miami/Art Basel, Adidas, Vans, La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Zhou B Art Center, Julien’s Auctions, Gallery 1988, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, the University of California Los Angeles, Bombay Sapphire Gin, the city of Los Angeles, Gallery 825, Abend Gallery, Baton Rouge Gallery, and Soho House London.
Vakseen’s signature painting style, Vanity Pop, fuses elements of photorealism, cubism, and fashion design into vibrant, abstract portraits. Vanity Pop is a celebration of women, beauty, fashion, duality, insecurity, and self-preservation. With that foundation, his portraits are visual dialogues on society’s idolization of beauty, the cosmetic enhancements endured to meet the status quo and the impact this has on popular culture.
Like a cosmetic surgeon, Vakseen methodically collages the perfect features together, bringing my ideas to life. Although his work mimics collage or mixed-media, each piece is meticulously hand-painted to blur the boundaries between perception and reality. By juxtaposing his subjects with diverse “perfect” features, Vakseen’s work speaks to the fragmentation within us all as we strive for acceptance. In essence, his art is a mirror, reflecting the surreal, superficial times we live in.
