February 6, 2018

Text: Annie Block

Michele Oka Doner Returns to Detroit for Wasserman Projects Exhibition

Michele Oka Doner was born in Miami Beach, but she spent nearly 20 years in Michigan, earning her undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Michigan, afterward establishing her studio in Ann Arbor, then in Detroit. In fact, her first solo museum show was at the Detroit Institute of Arts in 1978 and featured a large-scale floor installation exploring ancient civilizations through thousands of clay pieces. Now she’s returned to the Motor City for “Fluent in the Language of Dreams,” an exhibition at Wasserman Projects through May 5. “Coming back is poignant, especially at a time of renewed energy that’s being led by creatives,” she says. “This show is an opportunity to come full circle, particularly inspired by the gallery’s open floor plan.” Indeed, the exhibition recreates and expands upon that early DIA installation, which is joined by Oka Doner’s recent larger sculptures and ink drawings.

Composition of Hominin Relics. Photography courtesy of Michele Oka Doner.
Glyphs, a floor installation. Photography courtesy of Michele Oka Doner.
Neuration Dionysa, Palm Book. Photography courtesy of Michele Oka Doner.
Her terra-cotta Standing Figure. Photography courtesy of Michele Oka Doner.
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE. Neuration Palmacaea. Photography courtesy of Michele Oka Doner.
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE. Pages 1 and 2. Photography courtesy of Michele Oka Doner.
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE. Relic. Photography courtesy of Michele Oka Doner.
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE. Shadow I. Photography courtesy of Michele Oka Doner.

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