Daniel Marcellus Givens
Daniel Marcellus Givens (b. 1972 , Chicago, Illinois)
Givens is a visual and sound artist, writer, DJ celestial musician, and performer currently living in Harlem. Through his interdisciplinary work, Givens explores the intersectional nature of identity. Inspired by the myths, folklore, urban legends, factual, fictional, and fantastical history that surround Africans in America, his work serves to question the past, imagine alter destinies, and in the process create new pathways to view people of color. Working across mediums and genres, the pieces incorporate elements of photography, collage, painting, drawing, and sound.
Select Resume.
Founder of Age Ensemble-a collective of musicians and vocalist based in experimental and improvised music-Chicago (1998-2004).
Core member of D UNDERBELLY- underground network of artists of color invested in develop of interdisciplinary performative works -BK (2004-2007).
Compositions:
2000 Age worldwide release cd / 2Xlp
2001 The Ideas of Space; limited edition 1,000 12” vinyl record.
2002 Freedom’s Myth; limited edition of 1,000 12” vinyl record.
2003 Black Xmas limited edition of 50 Cdr.
2004 Black History limited edition of 50 Cdr.
Autumnal limited edition of 100 Cdr.
Dayclear & FIrst Dark worldwide release cd / 2Xlp.
2007 Egress worlwide release cd
2018 LRJ n DMG 2 (Lotus & Lion remix) Larraji Sun Transformation (All Saints Records)
Collaborations:
Performance:
2003-04 with Monstah Black:
Thelma Hill Performing Arts Center, Fuse’s “Queer Art” Festival/ Here Theater
2004- ongoing with Baraka de Soleil/D UNDERBELLY:
Koool-Aid Luv Woes at BRIC studios, NY
N This Hous at Tribeca Performing Arts Center
First Dark Drama at BRIC studios, Ontological Hysteric Theater, Joyce Soho,& Queens Museum of Art, NY.
Taggn with Jennifer Monson, New York
Koool-Aid Luv Odyssey at Brooklyn Arts Exchange
2009 Habibi Abed with Rafael Sanchez
2010 Daniel Givens' Day Exit Arts New York
Vocal:
2004 Untitled with Efterklang (Denmark)
2006 The Mark with Angle (France)
Glacial (A Means) with Ferro-Concrete (Spain)
2007 Untitled with Lena (France)
2014 The Last Concert with Efterklang and the South Denmark Philharmonic (Denmark)
Sound Design:
2005 Livin in the Light - Brooklyn Arts Exchange, NY
2006 Zong - Here Theater, NY
N this Hous - Tribeca Performing Arts Center, NY
12 steps to A-scension - Dixon Place, NY
2008 ORUNMILA (THE ADVENTURES OF THE FATHER OF IFA DIVINATION) at The National Black Theater of Harlem
2016 The Last Poet film by David Hartt
Video Design:
2004 Transcend in collaboration with David Hart
2005 Robeson in Space for Guillermo E. Brown
2006 Coin Coin for Matana Roberts
Krazy Kat for Yael Archer
2015 Coin Coin The Live Remix for Manata Roberts
Solo/Group Music Performances:
1999 Summer Solstice Event at Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.
The Cooler, New York
2001 HotHouse, Chicago
The Empty Bottle, Chicago
2002 The Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago
The Knitting Factory, New York
2003 Gavin Brown Gallery, New York
Music Fest NW, Portland, OR
D.U.M.B.O Arts Festival
2004 Forma Nova Festival in Fredericia, Denmark
Reed College in Portland, OR
La Paradiso, Amsterdam
D.U.M.B.O Arts Festival, Brooklyn
Sonotechque, Chicago
Office Ops, Brooklyn
2005 Tonic, New York
3030, Chicago
Remote Lounge, New York
2006 Nu-Blu, New York
Holy Madness Poetry Festival, Rubin Museum of Art, New York
2007 Dixon Place, New York
2016 Fridman Gallery, NYC
2018
2019 Winter Jazz Fest, NYC, Roulette, NYC, Nublu, NYC
2020 Nublu, NYC
Roulette, NYC
Awards & Compilations:
2001 Received “Album of the Year” award for Age by Blow Up Mag- Italy.
Included on “Tapper”- Wire Magazine CD series- England.
Received design/concept award for collaboration with Hans Seeger on Age packaging by Big Book-US.
Music included & photos published in After Hours Magazine-Japan.
2002 Simaballrec “45 seconds” compilation cd.
2003 Zing Magazine CD-US.
2003 Transcend included on Repellant Magazine/Codek records- ”Bedroom Bedlam” compilation CD.
2004 URB Magazine “Top 100 of 2005”.
2005 Received an “Meet the Composer” Grant.
Artist-in-Residence: Ontological Theater’s Outside/Input program.
Group Art Showings:
2015 Howl on Howell Milwaukee, Wisconsion
2016 Postcards From The Edge by Visual AIDS Sikkema Jenkins & CO., NYC
2017 Postcards From The Edge by Visual AIDS Metro Pictures, NYC
2018 Postcards From The Edge by Visual AIDS Gallery 254, NYC
Marks of Resistance curated by Sam Gordon & Jacob Robichaux, Clifford Chance US LLP
2019 Postcards From The Edge by Visual AIDS Bortolami, NYC
Happenings, Gordon Robichaux Gallery, NYC
2020 Postcards From The Edge by Visual AIDS Bortolami, NYC
2020 RENEWAL at Wild Project Gallery, NYC
Published writing:
2015 Queerness in a Tradition Sense co-interview of Terre Thaemlitz with Niels Van Tomme in The New Spaces For Criticism collection.
Published art/interviews:
2019 Stone Crown Rebellion Issue One, New York
2020 A Queer Anthology of Wilderness, Pilot Press, UK
Tours:
Age (1999-2001): US, Italy
Ideas of Space & Freedom’s Myth (2002-2003): US,
Dayclear & First Dark(2004-06): Germany, Italy, France, Spain & Denmark.