David Banks, an emerging artist in Montgomery, describes the South differently than most.

“It kind of just has a patina that carries its own beauty,” he said, pointing to the architecture, the places, and the people. He talked at length about the kudzu growing over old telephone poles and the way we wear our stories on our bodies. “People might see those things as decay, but I see them as a thing of beauty…that kind of patina that the South has…that’s also what makes places like Greece and Italy so attractive—that patina is a part of the charm.” 

‘Patina’ describes the thin surface layer that tends form on older things, such as the sheen on worn leather, the green on copper, or how rough wood turns smooth after years of handling. While he resists formally assigning meaning to his work, ‘patina’ also seems to be a fitting description of what Banks is trying to capture in his first solo exhibit, Emergence: An Introspective, which will run from August 7th to September 22nd at the King’s Canvas.

“A lot of people who aren’t familiar with [the South] see it as an artifact of time. But the culture is constantly evolving and changing. But in increments,” Banks said. He talked about growing up on a family farm in Tuskegee, tucked away on a dirt road. His family kept cows and grew a vegetable garden in the backyard. “My grandmother grew up in a sharecropping family. Pretty much all my family were farmers.” 

His talent appeared early. “I would draw on the walls of the house. Obviously, that would annoy my mother. But my grandparents were really astute and told my mom, ‘Don’t stop him. Don’t stifle this creativity.’” 

His grandparents encouraged his talents, and they also fertilized his gifts with their own. “I grew up with a lot of storytellers. We’d sit at my grandma’s feet and hear stories, and while my grandfather was mending fences—we’d help him as much as we could—but it was really just a time for him to share stories and sing hymns…I think that imparted a responsibility to take up the mantle of storyteller and to preserve my story.” 

But here he stressed that his story “isn’t unique.” But instead of that discouraging him, he seems to view his history as a piece in an important, Southern mosaic. And that mosaic is worth showing, even in little pieces. “[Southern] culture deserves a place in fine art and to be told in all mediums…without it being a caricature, just appreciated on its own, like a beautiful thing.” 

Still, Banks resists assigning too much meaning to his work. Some of the resistance comes from his relationship with his art, which feels ever-changing. “When I start a piece, I might have this idea and then as I work on it, it becomes something else. And so I’m bringing a different me.” However, most of the resistance comes from how he views art itself. “The meaning of a piece of art is a conversation between the viewer and the artist. And I don’t think that ever ends.”

The goal isn’t for a viewer to adopt his interpretation of the piece. The goal is a conversation. He encouraged this in particular for the portraitures in his exhibit. “We see ourselves in other people’s faces. You can make up a 1000 different stories about a person’s life. Are they scared? Hopeful? Melancholy?” 

“Portraits don’t say anything,” he continued. “[they] invite us to wonder.” 

But some pieces do require a little digging. For the exhibit, Banks painted one personal narrative, titled “While We Were Playing Checkers.” It’s a depiction of a barbershop in his hometown, famous for their $5 haircuts. Banks said, “But it’s also famous for these games.” Men would “gather and play and talk trash…It’s really an institution.” 

The barbershop isn’t what it once was. Now, it’s a “decayed and dilapidated building.” He described the boarded up windows, and said “it’s obviously not functioning anymore.” 

“So, in the painting, it’s two male figures playing a game,” he said. “It creates this tension because the building is boarded up. There’s no signs that it’s alive, but the characters out front still do the thing that happened there. It’s kind of like a memory on repeat.” 

Where many of his paintings simply are, this one has a little more to it. “I wanted to make a commentary on memory, and how memories are compressed and distorted. And when we don’t intentionally preserve these institutions, then the story gets rewritten.” 

But just because that community isn’t what it once was, doesn’t mean something new isn’t coming along. Banks hopes that his audience will walk away from the exhibit with a sense of pride in their own community. He knows Montgomery isn’t known for its art scene, but he wants visiting King’s Canvas to challenge that. Admission to his exhibit’s opening reception, held at King’s Canvas on August 7th from 6:00-9:00 PM, is free—and will include food, cocktails, and live music from the Montgomery Jazz Alliance.

Banks remarked, “I wanted it to feel like a real community event. It’s less about me, and more about the space, more about the people.”

Emergence: An Introspective will be on display at King’s Canvas in Montgomery from Aug. 7 through Sept. 22. To learn more about the exhibition, opening reception and visiting details, visit King’s Canvas online.

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