Dave Eassa

Full circle beauty moment, my painting 𝘔𝘢𝘮𝘢’𝘴 𝘉𝘰𝘺 hanging at MCASD where we got married. Today both generations of Mama’s Boys got to see the work in the Museum overlooking the Pacific. Ty always to @mashondatifrere for the support. MCASD Art Auction 2026 2/5/26 - 3/8/26 Featured Artists Marisa Adesman, Amy Adler, Nick Aguayo, Charles Arnoldi, John Baldessari, Robert Barry, Math Bass, Jennifer Anne Bennett, Carolyn Castaño, Niki de Saint Phalle, Karla Diaz, Matt DiGiacomo, Tomory Dodge, Jeanne Dunn, Dave Eassa, Manny Farber, Max Frintrop, Ricardo Galvan, Carlos Garaicoa, Jimi Gleason, Luis González Palma, Melissa Huddleston, Rugiyatou Ylva Jallow, Colter Jacobsen, Lavaughan Jenkins, Dr. Lakra, Laura Lima, Muna Malik, Donald Martiny, Ryan McGinness, Jared McGriff, linn meyers, Richard Allen Morris, Erin Morrison, Nikko Mueller, Bruce Nauman, Aliza Nisenbaum, noé olivas, Trevor Paglen, Jaume Plensa, Astrid Preston, Deborah Remington, Brie Ruais, Kim Rugg, Ed Ruscha, Ed Ruscha and Kenny Scharf, Christopher Russell, Alexandro Segade For My Barbarian, Davina Semo, Katherine Sherwood, Kiki Smith, Alise Spinella, Sergio Suárez, Swoon, Geoffroy Tobé, Chris Trueman, Roger Vail, Perry Vásquez, Cecilia Vicuña, Yan Pei-Ming, Shanna Waddell

Muse has multiplied, life has cracked us open and put us back in a new shape. Making a beautiful baby with your best friend is top tier, no notes. 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘈𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥𝘴 examined the journey here, all about Love, her, and him. Sadly, it is the last week of my show, at the Center Museum in Escondido, CA. Its been the best experience with the best team. Open Wed - Sunday, 11-5 at @ccaemuseum 💕

Four Sails began through a series of public offerings, an opportunity for people to consider the same questions I was in the paintings, together. These dreams, memories and tidbits of guidance were collaged together, quilting and weaving together our shared and specific experiences. Throughout 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘈𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥𝘴, this practice has continued. Hundreds of Californians sharing stories and memories, banking them into the clouds. The efforts from this will be brought together as a zine titled 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘢 𝘋𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨. Here is a selection of some that spoke to me. 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘈𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥𝘴 is open at @ccaemuseum through March 1st. These are the last weeks of the exhibition. It has been a really profound experience for me that marks the biggest transition in my life. I hope you can make it before it is over. 💕

𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝑨𝒃𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝒍𝒐𝒖𝒅𝒔 began one way, and shifted greatly over the course of planning the exhibition. The paintings became about our baby on the way, the ways that Love, for Ashley for him, expanded and burst beyond what one thought possible, how scary and exciting it all felt. Its been the greatest ride to date and some of my favorite work Ive made. I’d love to share it with you while its up. Wed - Sunday 11-5 at @ccaemuseum at @theccae . Will meet you for a walk through. Through March 1st.

This weekend, 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥𝘴, will be open during @otherplacesartfair with @harvestngather , with a gallery walk through earlier in the day. @ashleyeassa and I also will have work on view with @k_i_t_e_project , a curatorial project led by @morganmandalay , @project_paint and participants at Donovan State Prison as part of Opaf. There will be many friends and artist led projects. See you there

Join us for music, refreshments, and hands-on art making this Friday, October 3, 6-8 PM, to celebrate the opening of Dave Eassa: Head Above the Clouds! At once elegy and offering, Head Above the Clouds reflects on love, loss, and longing—while affirming the persistence of hope. Anchored by life-size portraits and a cloud-like sculptural installation, the exhibition invites visitors to imagine resilience as a shared practice. Opening Celebration 📅 Friday, October 3, 2025 🕚 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM 📍 California Center for the Arts Museum 📸: Philipp Scholz Rittermann

How can exhibition design support emotional connection, healing, and shared experience? This Wednesday, September 17, join artist Dave Eassa for an intimate preview of Head Above the Clouds, opening to the public on October 4. Part of San Diego Design Week 2025, this free program provides a behind-the-scenes look at the human-centered design strategies that shape the exhibition, from seating sculptures to participatory elements that invite visitors to become co-authors. The conversation will explore how layout, color, scale, and materials were intentionally used to evoke tenderness, grief, joy, and connection. Designing Memory: Visual Storytelling with Dave Eassa September 17, 6-7 PM | Free California Center for the Arts Museum Images: Installation view, Who Would You Write To, Artist Residency at Art Produce, San Diego, CA, 2024. Installation view, Dave Eassa: People and Places You Don’t Know How to Know, Cody Gallery at Marymount University, Arlington, VA, 2022. Installation view, Dave Eassa: Stop and Smell the Roses Sometimes, SPACE Gallery, Portland, ME, 2018. @daveeassa @sddesignweek #SDDesignWeek #DesignForImpact

☁ Coming this Fall ☁ Dave Eassa: Head Above the Clouds October 4, 2025 – March 1, 2026 Dave Eassa’s @daveeassa practice bridges painting, sculpture, and socially engaged art to explore how memory and community shape one another. Working from family archives, everyday encounters, and collaborative workshops, Eassa takes intimate stories and turns them into shared spaces for reflection. This exhibition introduces his first new series of figurative paintings created in San Diego since relocating from Baltimore. Alongside these works, Eassa expands his community-centered approach through a cloud-like seating installation and four sails produced with youth and local partners, each a testament to art as both personal archive and collective offering. Opening October 4, 2025 at the California Center for the Arts Museum. Images: A Boy, Not Subject To, 2024, Oil and spray paint on canvas, 64 x 48 inches. I had to know I could float on my own, 2024, Oil and spray paint on canvas, 64 x 48 in.

Making and growing, every day.

💌A letter to you 💌

When the Sun comes up On view in “As it Unfolds” curated by @fitsum_shebeshe for NADA Curated @newartdealers March 13 - April 15 online 🌺🌼🌺

In DC with some friends at @artenables through June. Some incredible artists and work happening there.