Daniel J. Watts: A Nation’s Jubilee

“This Fourth of July is yours, not mine, You may rejoice, I must mourn.”
— Frederick Douglass, July 5, 1852, What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?

Daniel J. Watts: A Nation’s Jubilee returns multidisciplinary artist and Tony nominee Daniel J. Watts to Long Gallery Harlem for a one-of-a-kind performance experience taking place on July 4th. Featuring soundscapes by DJ DUGGZ and a collaboration with Poet Laureate of Long Gallery Harlem, John Lee Gaston White, this exhibition serves as a culmination and physical extension of Watts’s recent residency, Process of Saying Yes. This collection showcases a wide range of his work through a selection curated by Christian Bryant and Daniel J. Watts, which adds depth to the performance and creates a complete visual and auditory experience.

The title of this exhibition is drawn from Frederick Douglass’s 1852 address, What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?. This exhibition interrogates the Black experience in America, exploring the constant tension between resilience and triumph, mourning and rejoicing. It challenges us to reflect on the American landscape through the perspective of one of its native sons, inviting us to consider what American life truly means for Black people.

This exhibition follows Watts’s recent residency, Process of Saying Yes, an intensive creative exploration surrounding the 79th Annual Tony Awards. During this residency, Watts opened the doors to his painting practice, exploring the power of radical presence through freestyle dance, live looping, and storytelling. As Watts notes, "My hope is that operating in a space of abundant ‘yes’ will help me become more definitive with my ‘no’."

Long Gallery Harlem is honored to host this return to our space. As gallery director and founder, Lewis Long reflects: "A decade ago, Daniel performed a version of his show ‘The Jam’ here in conjunction with visual artist Dareece Walker. We have had the privilege to witness his artistic growth over the last 10 years, and we’re thrilled to have him return to Long Gallery Harlem with his own visual work."

For further information or inquiries regarding available works, please speak with a gallery representative.

Artist Bio

You could call what Daniel J. Watts is doing "abstract expressionism," but truthfully, he's just searching for ways to feel free. The multi-disciplinary artist found his way into painting at the tail end of the infamous "Summer 2020" at the intersection of America's triple pandemic involving racial inequality, economics and health care. The theater wouldn't entertain audiences for another year, not that Watts needed an audience, but he did need to transmute. With the not so subtle push from a fellow artist, Upendo Taylor, Watts engaged his love of dance and went on an exploration through color and sound. Using music as initial inspiration he traveled from Miles Davis and Coleman Hawkins to James Brown to the Broadway cast recording of Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk. He studied the Japanese art movement Gutai, fell in love with their mantra "exterminate your paint brushes" and found a kindred spirit in member Kazuo Shiraga who in the 50's began painting with his feet. That is when Watts realized he'd been compartmentalizing himself and engaging in the visual arts would be an opportunity to merge. When he paints he channels all of his influences from the ladies on his night stand (Toni Morrison, Bassey Ipki, and belle hooks) to Saul Williams and Langston Hughes as James Baldwin whispers the secret to being a hero: balancing how much one remembers and forgets. He's channeling Pelé and Ali and Sammy and Basquiat and Norman Lewis and de Kooning and Lorna Simpson and Bisa Butler and Fahamu Pecou and little conversations with José Parlá and Lee Quinoñes and Derrick Adams and Deborah Willis and that thing Larry Neal calls the "Blues God." He's remembering his childhood and projecting his future and staying present in the in between. Color and movement are music and words and a moment in time like a snap shot by Roy De Carava, Arthur Jafa or Ogata connecting us all and Watts is looking to explore that space to the fullest. Because there, he found, is where the freedom resides.

Artist Statement

“Art has always been about survival for me, thus I approach all my work with the intent to survive. I don’t mean that the way most people do i.e. just surviving. Survive comes from latin superviver meaning to outlive or live above and beyond. In essence, art/life is a process of improvisation and adaptation, so inevitably, death is somewhere lurking nearby. One way or another, transcendence is a must.”

– Daniel J. Watts

Dates
July 4 – 31, 2026 at Long Gallery Harlem

Location
Long Gallery Harlem
2073 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr Blvd.
New York, NY 10027

Artist
Daniel J. Watts

Curator
Christian Bryant

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