killing your darlings

Nov 17 2023 - Dec 12 2023

Dan Drossman – Solo Exhibition

Opening Reception
Friday, November 17, 2023
6 p.m. – 9 p.m.

First Friday
Friday, December 1, 2023
6 p.m. – 9 p.m.

In literary terms, to “kill your darlings” means to cut out elements of a story that an author is persistently attached to, but that continue to cause problems with the rest of the narrative and must be removed for the sake of the overall story. Dan Drossman relates deeply to this phrase in not only his life but also his artwork. For Drossman’s Solo Exhibition Killing Your Darlings at Bitfactory Gallery his process includes confronting his favorite parts of a work in various ways to ultimately create a more successful work of art. The exhibition is on view during regular business hours—with the exception of Nov 23rd and 24th for Thanksgiving—from November 17 through December 14, 2023, including the First Friday Art Walk on December 1, 2023, 6 to 9 p.m. The public is invited to the Opening Reception held on November 17 from 6 to 9 pm at the gallery, 851 Santa Fe Dr.

Drossman’s work is deeply psychological, often revealing of his experiences with physical pain. Through intuitive mark-making, he conjures versions of his visceral self that appear to be large figures battling with one another in a cacophony of color, marks, and strokes. Closer inspection reveals that each figure emerges from other smaller “creatures” representing subconscious ideas and emotions. While painting, if he becomes too attached to an aspect of it that feels important but is also holding him back—becoming “cancerous” to the piece—he might literally cut it out of the canvas or paper and repurpose it. Rather than getting rid of it altogether, that portion is “resurrected” into a new artwork by way of collage. In contrast, he also sometimes leans into the troublesome part and repeats it throughout multiple artworks. The process of “killing his darlings” is his way of creating a piece that meets his expectations of a successful work of art. He encourages viewers to take time with each piece and discover what it reveals to them.

The process also easily translates into Drossman’s life as he has learned to reframe aspects of his past that had either negative or meaningless value and positively “reimplement” them to his present situation.

Dan Drossman grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, received his BA from Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina, and holds an MFA from The School of Visual Arts in New York. He is represented by Ruler Art in New York City and his works have been exhibited at David Zwirner Gallery, The OpenAir Museum in Sardinia, Italy, and several solo and group exhibitions throughout New York, North Carolina, and Colorado. Drossman was the founder and director of the former The Waiting Room Gallery in Denver, and recently founded and produced Visible Planets: Renowned Rappers and Their Visual Art, Two Days of Art and Hip-Hop, held in August 2023.

Bitfactory Gallery, located at 851 Santa Fe Drive in the heart of Denver’s Art District on Santa Fe, exhibits work by the best emerging and up-and-coming local, national, and international visual artists. It strives to showcase art that may not be a good fit for other galleries. Additionally, they host one major or renowned artist a year, bringing new and exciting work to Denver. The Bitfactory building also houses artist studios with the vision of providing a helpful, friendly atmosphere for artists to work solo or collaborate with others. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. until 3 p.m., and by appointment. For additional information please contact Bill Thomason at info@bitfactory.net or (303) 862-9367 or visit www.bitfactory.net. They can be found on FB & IG @bitfactorygallery and on X at @bitfactoryg