Kim Dacres, a native New Yorker, has crafted a unique artistic practice centered around found tires and bicycle parts. Her process involves scavenging her neighborhood on Tuesdays, collecting rubber and bike components that she then transforms into sculptures and busts. Dacres' work is deeply personal, reflecting her experiences and the resilience of marginalized communities. She draws inspiration from the ubiquitous nature of rubber, its ability to absorb trauma, and the olfactory experiences it evokes, connecting it to the city and freedom.
Dacres' current exhibition, Lost on a Two Way Street, explores the oppression of marginalized groups, particularly women and queer and immigrant communities. The show features 18 sculptures and wall-based works made from rubber, valves, and bike parts, expanding on her previous body of work, Crossroads Like This. Dacres' fascination with found auto and bike parts is multifaceted, considering the material's resilience, its olfactory experience, and its connection to the emotional worlds of individuals.
One of the artist's new series, Forget Me Nots, pays homage to community members and their social bonds, which play a crucial role in maintaining her mental health. The titles of the works are inspired by nicknames Dacres assigned to her mental snapshots, or 'forget me nots'. The exhibition title and artwork names also pay homage to iconic Black musicians, reflecting the heavy world around her.
Dacres' work has evolved to address larger concepts, such as environmental disaster and attacks on LGBTQ+ rights. Her sculptures, like 'Until the ocean covers every mountain high (Blue Gears)', reference Stevie Wonder's lyrics about boundless love, symbolizing her love for herself and her community. The vibrant 'Blue Gears' sculpture, created during Hurricane Melissa, ties the work to rising sea levels and climate change.
Dacres' artistic practice has developed a signature vocabulary that probes the capacity of material to carry and interpret difficult truths about our world. She believes that the environment shapes us, and her work reflects the barriers to education, citizenship concerns, and threats against civil and human rights. Dacres' unique approach to art-making, driven by personal experiences and a commitment to honoring her community, offers a powerful commentary on the world around us.
