CV
OTHA “VAKSEEN” DAVIS III
Los Angeles, California
SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS
Museum exhibitions include the African American Museum of Dallas, Ontario Museum of History & Art, MOCA Cleveland, Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art, Brownsville Museum of Fine Art, Lancaster Museum of Art and History, and Wilson Museum at the Southern Vermont Arts Center.
Selected international and institutional presentations include Art in Embassies at the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe, Tajikistan; the 113th Annual NAACP National Convention; UCLA; W Hotels; Los Angeles City Hall; and the Hollywood Bowl.
Selected commissions and collaborations include Nike, The History Channel, Adidas Originals, the Bo Diddley Estate, the Tupac Shakur Estate, Destination Crenshaw, LA Jazz Festival, and United Teachers Los Angeles.
Selected press and media include Forbes, Architectural Digest, Artnet, American Art Collector, Fine Art Connoisseur, Black Enterprise, BBC World News, CBS News, and LA Weekly.
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2026
Featured Artist Presentation — Los Angeles City Hall, Los Angeles, CA
2025
Beyond Boundaries — S Gallery & Choice Curations, Los Angeles, CA
Throne of My Becoming — Gabba Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Featured Artist Presentation — Cafe Ruisseau, Los Angeles, CA
2024
Vanity Pop — The Midway Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Featured Artist Presentation — Loft & Bear Distillery, Los Angeles, CA
2023
Rico Soirée — Loft & Bear Distillery, Los Angeles, CA
2021
Legends Only: Los Angeles — Makersplace, Los Angeles, CA
2019
Featured Art Presentation — Buena Park City Hall, Buena Park, CA
The Peace in Perfection — Gallery 30 South, Pasadena, CA
2017
Summer Soirée 2017 — La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2016
Metro Dreams — The Gabba Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2015
A Beautiful Lie — UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
2012
Art OD — Emerging Art Scene Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia
MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS
2026
MOAH:CEDAR — 41st Annual All Media Juried Art Exhibition
2023
Ontario Museum of History & Art — We the People: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, Ontario, CA
2022
African American Museum of Dallas — The 27th Carroll Harris Simms National Black Art Exhibition, Dallas, TX
Wilson Museum at the Southern Vermont Arts Center — Many Americas: Art Meets History, Manchester, VT
MOCA Cleveland — Game On, Cleveland, OH
2021
Ontario Museum of History & Art — Dia De Los Muertos: Mujeres Valientes, Ontario, CA
Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art — ICONIC, Wausau, WI
2019
Ontario Museum of History & Art — Dia De Los Muertos: Eternal Roots, Ontario, CA
Brownsville Museum of Fine Art — 47th Annual International Exhibition, Brownsville, TX
2018
Ontario Museum of History & Art — Dia De Los Muertos: Remember Me, Ontario, CA
Ontario Museum of History & Art — Diversity & Inclusion: The Influence of African American Art in Southern California, Ontario, CA
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2026
A Look To The Future: America at 350, Brea Gallery & Thinkspace Projects, Brea, CA
Dear Artists…Los Angeles — Streets, Structures & Stories — Band of Vices, Los Angeles, CA
Cannibal Flower, Lucky Cat Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Cannibal Flower, Gabba Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Butter Art Fair — Los Angeles, CA
Dear Artists…Be Still — Band of Vices, Los Angeles, CA
2025
Dear Artists…Figurative — Band of Vices, Los Angeles, CA
Wishlist 13 — Gabba Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Testimony in Color — CM2 Arts, Los Angeles, CA
Hive 20 Year Anniversary Show — Hive Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Featured Artist Presentation — The Last Bookstore DTLA, Los Angeles, CA
Cannibal Flower Group Show — Gabba Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
IWD: The Modern Female — 33 Contemporary Gallery, Lake Worth, FL
2024
Featured Artist Presentation — Suriname International Art Fair
LAEDC’s 29th Annual Eddy Awards — LA Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA
Dillafest — LA Ford, Los Angeles, CA
LAEDC’s Los Angeles Board of Governors Meeting w/ Mayor Karen Bass — Los Angeles, CA
Jazz Village Experience — Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, CA
Featured Artist Presentation — DOORS NYC, New York, NY
Unlock Your Dreams: Kobe Bryant Experience — W Hotel Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, CA
SLAM Presents And One — The Local Gallery NYC, New York, NY
2023
Art in Embassies — U.S. Embassy, Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Apophenia — LAMAG, Los Angeles, CA
Inner Links — Artshare LA, Los Angeles, CA
Featured Artist Presentation (2023–2025) — Sagamore Hotel, Miami Beach, FL
Curio Collection — 106 Jefferson, Huntsville, AL
Beyond Original — Modern Eden, San Francisco, CA
Bitcoin Miami Immersive Exhibition — Nolcha Shows, Miami Beach, FL
Unlock Your Dreams — W Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, CA
NFT NYC 360 Immersive Exhibition — Nolcha Shows, New York, NY
LA Art Show — Abend Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Black In Every Color — The Andaz West Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA
2022
Scope Art Show — Miami Beach, FL
Web3 Edition – Powered by Life — Makersplace x Nolcha Shows, Miami Beach, FL
113th Annual NAACP National Convention — NAACP, Atlantic City, NJ
Everything But The Kitschen Sync — La Luz De Jesus Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
LA Art Show — Abend Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2021
The Portrait Show IX — Modern Eden, San Francisco, CA
2020
Beyond Provenance: Speculative $Black Futures On The Blockchain — ONE/OFF
30th Annual Miniatures Show — Abend Gallery, Denver, CO
Tapas — Thinkspace Projects, Los Angeles, CA
Art is Love — BG Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Story Tellers — Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
Everything But The Kitschen Sync — La Luz De Jesus Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
A GOGO — W Hotel Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA
LA Art Show (25th Anniversary) — Abend Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
The Billboard Creative — Billboard Feature, Los Angeles, CA
2019
Your Art Los Angeles — Billboard Feature, SaveArtSpace, Los Angeles, CA
Arte Para La Gente — ChimMaya Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Laluzapalooza XXXIII — 33 Year Anniversary Group Show, La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Adorn Me — Poets Artists
2018
CoutoureMash — MASH Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
WishList 6 — Gabba Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
28th Annual Miniatures Show — Abend Gallery, Denver, CO
100% LA — Billboard Feature, SaveArtSpace & Otis College of Art & Design, Los Angeles, CA
Anything But Painting the Figure — Poets Artists & Zhou B Art Center
Diversity Inks — Soho House, London, England
Static Medium Show — Gallery 1988, Los Angeles, CA
Remix: The Art of Music — The Gabba Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Studio 54 — Jo Hay Open Studio & Poets Artists, Provincetown, MA
Relish Vol. 2: Los Angeles Release Show — Coagula Curatorial & Joseph Gross Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Laluzapalooza XXXII — 32 Year Anniversary Group Show, La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2017
Wishlist 5 — The Gabba Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Homecoming — Vans HQ, Costa Mesa, CA
Playboy’s Hidden Arcade (90’s Edition) — Playboy & Think Tank Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Artobotic — United Kingdom
LA DADA — Megaphone PHX & Cut + Paste PHX, Phoenix, AZ
Satis House — Artium-Miami Gallery, Miami, FL
The 5th Annual Coaster Show — La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Drinkin’ Smokin’ & West Coastin’ (A Group Love/Hate Letter to LA) — Vans & Think Tank Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Cratedigger Vol. 2 — The Gabba Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Featured Artist Presentation — Pershing Square, Los Angeles, CA
Out There — Gallery 825, Los Angeles Art Association & the City of West Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA
Luxe — ChimMaya Art Gallery, Los Angeles, California
Laluzapalooza XXXI — 31st Anniversary Group Show, La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
One Art: Artists for a Cure — JDRF & Arena 1 Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2016
Spectrum Miami — Natural Cannabis Company, Miami Beach, FL
Wishlist 4 — The Gabba Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
11th Anniversary Exhibition — ChimMaya Art Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
#AdidasLAExperience — Adidas Originals, Los Angeles, CA
The 4th Annual Coaster Show — La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Cratedigger: The Lost Art of Album Cover Art — The Gabba Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Play 2016 — Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Global Inheritance Presents: Rain Supreme — Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival, San Francisco, CA
CA101 2016 — South Bay Galleria, Redondo Beach, CA
A Retrospective of Gender — ChimMaya Art Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
MADE in California — Brea Gallery, Brea, CA
Global Inheritance Presents: Rain Supreme — University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA
Laluzapalooza XXX — 30 Year Anniversary Group Show, La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Global Inheritance Presents: Rain Supreme — Beyond Wonderland, San Bernardino, CA
Air + Style LA — Los Angeles, CA
Surreal Salon 8 — Baton Rouge Gallery & Juxtapoz Magazine, Baton Rouge, LA
A Foot in the Door: Abstract Art and Meaning — Santa Clarita City Hall, Santa Clarita, CA
Cannibal Flower 15yr Anniversary Show — The Art Church & Cannibal Flower, Los Angeles, CA
2015
Wishlist 3.0 — The Gabba Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
A Moveable Feast — Art San Diego, San Diego Mesa College & San Diego Art Institute, San Diego, CA
Connecting the Pieces — UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
Featured Artist Presentation — Billboard Feature, 1Oak Los Angeles & City of West Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA
California Open 2015 — Tag Gallery, Santa Monica, California
Pharrell Williams Superstar Supershell Release Event — Adidas, Los Angeles, CA
CA101 2015 — AES Power Plant, Redondo Beach, CA
Spitz, Vanity Pop — Los Angeles, California
Zodiac — The Gabba Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2014
The 8x8 Show — 11:11 ACC Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
South Bay Contemporary, Fresh 2014 — Curated by Mat Gleason, Palos Verdes, CA
Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series Semifinalist Show — Coagula Curatorial, Los Angeles, CA
Read My Lips — Art Share LA, Los Angeles, CA
2013
Shadows — Santa Clarita City Hall, Santa Clarita, CA
2012
Noho Gallery LA, Black History Month — Curated by Daniel DeBevoise, Los Angeles, California
AWARDS & GRANTS
2026
Second Place — Best 2D Mixed Media, MOAH:CEDAR 41st Annual All Media Juried Art Exhibition, Lancaster, CA
LMFP Award, MOAH:CEDAR 41st Annual All Media Juried Art Exhibition, Lancaster, CA
2016
We Are Los Angeles — California Community Foundation (CCF) & Grand Park LA, Los Angeles, CA
SELECTED PRESS & FEATURES
2026
Artist Spotlight — Band of Vices
Fractured Portrait Paintings by Vakseen — Inspiration Grid
2024
Fox News Live — W Hotel Interview
2023
The Loft NYC
SXM The Daily Herald — Interview
CBS News Live — Interview
2022
Nolcha Shows Returns to Art Basel Miami Beach Featuring Leading Web3 Brands — Forbes
Many Americas: Art Meets History — Kolaj Magazine
This Black History Month, Get to Know 7 African American Artists Who Are Building a New Legacy — Artnet
Issa Rae Curates a South Los Angeles Airbnb Stay for Super Bowl Weekend — Architectural Digest
Black Enterprise
2021
Vakseen Opens a Gallery — Kolaj Magazine
Iconic Is… — Fine Art Connoisseur
Iconic — American Art Collector
Coindesk
Korea IT Times
New Voices 2021 Special Edition Catalog — Saatchi Art
Why Black Artists Matter — The Connoisseur
2020
Artsy
10 Portrait Artist To Know Right Now — American Art Collector
BBC World News
Art Helps Us Understand and Take Better Care of Each Other — LA Weekly
These Artists Are Using Art As Protest For Black Lives Matter — Refinery 29
Beautiful Bizarre
Basic Magazine
2019
Art and Cake LA
LA Weekly
Poets Artists — Adorn Me
2018
Vakseen: Addressing the Beauty Standard Through Art & K-Pop — The Kairos Podcast
Love Beyond Borders — Gay Times, Issue 4
Power — Cover Art, Boshemia Magazine
SELECTED COMMISSIONS & COLLABORATIONS
2026
Public Art Project — Destination Crenshaw
Key Art — LA Jazz Festival
Fight For LA Campaign — United Teachers Los Angeles
2025
We Can’t Wait Campaign — California Teacher’s Union
2023
Black History Month Collection — The History Channel
The Originator NFT Collection — Bo Diddley Estate
2022
Vakseen Collection Limited Edition Bottles — Cocktail Connoisseur x Loft & Bear Distillery
Welcome to Uniontown — LA Fed
2021
Simone Manuel We Play Real Campaign — Nike
2019
Nipsey Hussle Portrait — Hitboy
2017
Project: ARTvertise — Beautiful Pacoima, Pacoima, CA
2015
19th Anniversary 2pac Art Exhibition — Tupac Shakur Estate
Explore the Work →