Kim Dacres is a Jamaican-American visual artist who uses found automobile and bicycle tires to create sculptures that replicate the people who populate her life. The Bronx native, now based in Harlem, has exhibited works at Gavlak Gallery, Los Angeles; A.I.R. Gallery, Brooklyn; Galleria Anna Marra, Rome; and VisArts, Rockville. The artist unveiled her first yearlong public art installation, Peaceful Perch, in New York City’s Marcus Garvey Park in 2018, and completed the Bronx Museum’s AIM Fellowship program in 2021.

Made in the artist’s trademark style, James depicts a sculpture composed of tire strips that are layered and fashioned to resemble a male figure. Dacres views her chosen materials as a symbol of the strength, wear and tear unique to women and Black individuals. Wrapped either onto themselves or around wooden armatures, the rubber takes on human-like appearances that exude the charisma and personal style of each inspirational subject. Within each piece, Dacres not only explores the visual representations of Black men and women, but also honors these individuals with the space and monumentality that they are entitled to. Each print is hand-embellished by the artist with black and gold paint marker. The embellished patterns are drawn from the skin of the sculpture’s tire tread, with black and gold used to highlight the grooves of the material’s experience.

The artist notes, “Destination Tomorrow functions as the Bronx’s primary queer resource center for LGBTQ+ folks, young people, those seeking new skills, and those needing medical/mental health services. It is important for New York artists to come together and to support a queer-focused organization in our hometown, in a non-performative way.”

Kim Dacres

James, 2021

24 x 18.5 inches

Archival pigment print

Limited Edition of 20 with 4AP + 1 PP

Hand-embellished, signed, and numbered by the artist

*Each work is unique and will appear different than shown.

ART FOR CHANGE will donate 20% of the net proceeds of each edition to Destination Tomorrow. This limited series is part of AFC’s Changemakers collaboration with Danny Báez.

*International customers are responsible for applicable duties and taxes.
*Unframed prints ship within 1-3 weeks.
*Framed prints ship within 2-4 weeks.

Kim Dacres, James, 2021; Hand-Embellished, Signed, and Numbered Limited Edition Print