Chance DeVille

Pleased to announced my body of work “Growing Tired of Calloused Knees” won for @lensculture Portrait Awards 2026! Congratulations to all the other finalists and artists among the group! “Growing Tired of Calloused Knees” is also still available for purchase through @gnomicbook . (Or me directly if you’re in Oxford.) Shoutout to Momma as always. 🖤

One of my favorite Polaroids I’ve taken was published alongside this beautiful article by Mary Townsend, a philosophy professor at St. John’s University. I took a few screenshots of snippets from article for those who don’t have access! (DM me If you’d like to :)) This Polaroid was taken after Easter mass at the Providence Cathedral. In the article Mary writes about going to churches after a mass is done, and taking in the left over energy. I’ve been doing that for a few years now, photographing here and there as well, but mostly just sitting to meditate, pray, dissociate, whatever way you want to look at it. Without feeling the transactions of mass, I started to get closer to a weightlessness in these various churches I would sit in than I would receiving the Eucharist. Happy to have this image alongside this article, feels like the perfect way to wrap the year up :) thank you @kerrcirilo and @nytopinion 🕊️

Flow Space is excited to announce our July solo show “Growing Tired of Calloused Knees” by photographer @chancedeville opening July 10th at 6-8 pm. Read about the artists work below: For the past decade, I have photographed and collaborated with my mother at my grandparent’s home in Louisiana. All of the images in this project were taken within a 300 foot radius of the house, an act of stationary insanity. “Growing Tired of Calloused Knees” attempts to carry the multitude of issues that stem from domestic abuse as a catalyst for mental illness, poverty, and substance abuse. The photographs and related material within desire to hold empathy and understanding, while showcasing the visual representations of these difficult topics. It is an attempt to understand the overbearing weight of exhaustive circumstances that surround my family in particular. It is a space that holds grief and hope for both the living, dead, and worlds imagined. Due to my ex step-father, David, physically and mentally abusing my mother, Tammy, she was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and severe post-traumatic stress disorder. Neglecting psychiatric help, she turned to drugs and alcohol to suppress the disease. As a result of these changes in behavior and lifestyle, our relationship and power dynamic as mother and child changed drastically. This process is not only a photographic investigation of my mother, but a tool to build a new relationship with her through collaboration and documentation. These images show the tribulation of the permanent effects of abuse: poverty, disordered living, relationships left to be rendered. Photography as medium allows for an evidentiary result through a materialization of bodies and time that is not often felt due to trauma associated with David. These images are our reclamation — or perhaps, more bluntly, my attempt to resolve my endless grieving of my living mother. #photographer #opening #chancedeville #soloshow #flowspacegallery #artistrungallery #artistsupportartists #chelseagallery #nyc #soloshow #artistsupportartists

Chance DeVille @chancedeville (he/they) is an acclaimed queer artist, educator, and writer born and raised in Southwest Louisiana. Chance is currently an Assistant Professor in Digital Media at the University of Mississippi, Ole Miss. Their photographic and poetic practice addresses issues the cycles of mental illness, addiction, and poverty as catalyzed by severe domestic abuse. His other research interests lie in documenting the Deep American South as it holds the climate crisis, religion, queerness, and theories around the landscape. Chance is currently based in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Mom over the past decade, since 2016. May is always a harder month, happy belated birthday and happy Mother’s Day to the woman who taught me how to look slowly, trust my instincts, and fight for the things I love 🖤💐

A Thousand Little Deaths 🖤

We’re hiring a full time, 12 month Gallery Coordinator for our department, come work with us at @olemiss ! Jobs.olemiss.edu for more information :) spread the word!

An image of mine is in the @guardian today alongside a few other curated images from the winners and finalists. ✨ /artanddesign/gallery/2026/apr/20/lensculture-portrait-awards-2026-in-pictures

Summer research reading stack acquired ✨ happily taking recommendations for other books that pair well with any of these. #books #booksta #photography #film

Happy Easter. I always feel most productive this time of year, especially after Lenten fasting. It’s the season of renewal and I feel the light vibrate heavily. There’s magic in the air and everyone recognizes that, no matter the faith, here’s to renewal ✨

Enjoy some contact scans, Happy (almost) Easter 🐇💖 It’s been an insane semester but I’m really excited to get to work on a lot of personal work this Summer ✨

6 books (out of many) that heavily influenced my own. It’s been a year since I published my first monograph, “Growing Tired of Calloused Knees”. Here’s some writing that heavily influenced how I made my work. Snag a copy from me directly if you’re local, or from @gnomicbook ! #bookstagram #photobook #artist #photography #literature