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. 

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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

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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

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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

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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. 

 

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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.

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Published art/interviews:

2019 Stone Crown Rebellion Issue One, New York 

2020 A Queer Anthology of Wilderness, Pilot Press, UK

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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. 

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