Isis Davis-Marks

Tempest is pleased to present Cruel Optimism by Isis Davis-Marks with text by Sarah Chekfa.

“The next chapter of my life is about truly being good”

Wake up. Louis Vuitton dress, bra top, and jeans.[1] World is possessed, mental. Miu Miu sweater, shirt, skirt, briefs, and belt.[1]

“I’ve always felt like an outsider in the world.” Maison Margiela dress.[7] “I’ve never been the resting type,” she says. Vera Wang dress. Stella McCartney bodysuit.[2] “I always felt like I had something to prove.” Olivier Theyskens blouse and skirt.[1] “I’ve always had this anger.” Maximilian top. Bottega Veneta pants. Michael Kors Collection shoes.[3] “It’s a room in hell.” Dior dress. Dior Fine Jewelry Couture earrings.[4] “I know what I’m like. I always have, since I was young. And I’ve never drifted.” Ralph Lauren Collection dress. Emilia Wickstead shoes.[1] “Certainly not planning against it.” Chopard stud earring. Boucheron necklace.[5]

“We fell in love.” Louis Vuitton cape and dress with embroidered sequins.[2] “I didn’t believe it. I didn’t trust it.” Stella McCartney bodysuit. Alexander McQueen earrings and choker.[2] “It’s too dire.” Dior top, skirt, and belt.[4] “I always think, What will be next?” Alaïa dress. Giuseppe Zanotti shoes.[6]

“The two of us, we lost each other,” Dior jacket, bra, and skirt. Alaïa boot.[7] “Nothing is a sacrifice. It all just makes sense.” Danielle Frankel gown.[8] “Synergy. Chemistry. It explodes.” Loewe body and shoes.[2]

“I’ve definitely grown up.” Khaite dress. Proenza Schouler shoes.[3 ]“The next chapter of my life is about truly being good.” Chanel Haute Couture dress. ATM tank top.[3] “I want to be great. I want to be perfect.” Ralph Lauren Collection dress.[8] “I want the world to get little.” Marc Jacobs jacket, bustier, and skirt.[7]

Demeanor is armor. Margiela Artisanal designed by John Galliano dress.[1] “There’s no fortress.” Erdem dress.[4] “Home? Where is that? Who knows anymore?” Chanel sleeveless jacket.[9] “It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me.” Balenciaga gown. Bulgari High Jewelry earring.[8]

—Sarah Chekfa

Isis Davis-Marks(b. 1997) is a multidisciplinary artist, educator, and writer based in New York City. Her artwork has been exhibited nationally and internationally in venues including the Brooklyn Museum, the Yale School of Art, the Spring/Break art show, the Prizm Art fair, and La Loma Projects. Her visual work has also been featured in the Nation.

In her writing practice, Isis focuses on covering contemporary art, and most of her written work draws from philosophical and art historical texts to discuss issues including representation and contemporary visual culture. Her articles have been referenced in the New York Times and published in Smithsonian magazine, Cultured magazine, Phillips Auctions, Artsy, Frieze, the Art Newspaper, Hyperallergic, Communication Arts, King Kong Garçon, the Columbia Journal, and elsewhere. She is also a member of the Association Internationale des Critiques d'Art.

Isis uses both written pieces and images to tell stories, explore the nature of time, and investigate the limitations of language. In her practice, she examines topics connected to race, femininity, education, and class, but also attempts to relate these themes to more universal quandaries like love and ancestry, which is why plants and artifacts often appear in her work.

Sarah Chekfa lives in New York. She has written about subjects including AI girlfriends, Eternity roses, repulsive fragrances, shopping malls, Pilates, and the once-viral crying selfie for publications including Do Not Research, Flash Art, Screen Slate, The New York Review of Architecture, The Drunken Canal, and Vogue.

Caitlin Reid is a Brooklyn-based painter whose practice bridges collage, representational oil painting, and deep archival research. As Program Director of Tempest Gallery, where she has interviewed over thirty contemporary artists, and co-founder of the artist collective Immaterial Projects (2023–25), her studio work is deeply informed by curatorial thinking and cross-disciplinary dialogue. Reid is currently developing love is a force of nature, a major body of paintings synthesizing fifteen years of personal diaries, classical Greek mythology, and spiritual experience.

1 - Rob Haskell, “Bella From the Heart: On Health Struggles, Happiness, and Everything In Between,” Vogue, March 15, 2022, https://www.vogue.com/article/bella-hadid-cover-april-2022.

2 - Monica Kim, “From Squid Game to Supernova: Inside the Whirlwind with Hoyeon Jung,” Vogue, January 5, 2022, https://www.vogue.com/article/hoyeon-jung-squid-game-actress-cover-story-profile.

3 - Jen Wang, “The Real Dua Lipa,” Vogue, May 10, 2022, https://www.vogue.com/article/dua-lipa-cover-june-july-2022.

4 - Abby Aguirre, “Jennifer Lawrence Talks Motherhood, Causeway, and the End of Roe v. Wade,” Vogue, September 6, 2022, https://www.vogue.com/article/jennifer-lawrence-october-cover-2022-interview.

5 - Chioma Nnadi, “Oh, Baby! Rihanna’s Plus One,” Vogue, April 12, 2022, https://www.vogue.com/article/rihanna-cover-may-2022.

6 - Jen Wang, “I’ve Chosen Myself”: Inside Kim Kardashian’s New World,” Vogue, February 9, 2022, https://www.vogue.com/article/kim-kardashian-cover-march-2022.

7 - Rob Haskell, “How Jennifer Lopez Found Happily Ever After,” Vogue, November 8, 2022, https://www.vogue.com/article/jennifer-lopez-december-cover-2022-interview.

8 - Serena Williams, “Serena Williams Says Farewell to Tennis On Her Own Terms—And In Her Own Words,” Vogue, August 9, 2022, https://www.vogue.com/article/serena-williams-retirement-in-her-own-words.

9 - Alexandra Schwartz, “Olivia Wilde Is Living Her Best Life,” Vogue, December 9, 2021, https://www.vogue.com/article/olivia-wilde-cover-january-2022.