Dominic Chambers

Magical Realism

- Evan Pricco

I had two windows open from Google searches right before sitting down to talk with New Haven-based painter Dominic Chambers, one researching concepts of Fabulism and how it relates to mythology and magical realism; the second, a heavy, daunting article from The Boston Globe that attempted to explain how the American collective consciousness has been tested in 2020, our lives reflected in the shadow of immense doubt and death, leaving so many with a greater sense of unease than anytime in our history. Little did I know that, moments later, Chambers would articulate how magical realism and escapism have synthesized to shape him as one of the freshest voices in contemporary art.

From his early days in St Louis, to grad school at Yale, to short story writing and a strategic drive to work, Chambers has developed a unique, personal language born out of comics and the power of a good book. In the midst of preparing for the

August Wilson African American Cultural Center in September, he took time to talk about process, literature, philosophy, hyperactivity, criticism and self-awareness. His work, in many ways, embodies a desire for relief and respite during moments of struggle and stress, appreciation for the powerful freedom of simply relaxing on a grassy field, and the joy of disappearing into sweet imagination.

Evan Pricco: Let’s talk about St Louis, where you’re from. I think of Kansas City as the center of Missouri art, but what kind of scene is there now?