An After Poem for After-Poem
BY BRITTANY GRINHAM
An after poem can be loosely defined as a poem in homage to, in conversation with, or inspired
by another poem.
This collection by Meghan DeRoma not only elicits admiration but also a moment of deep
reflection.
Each piece weaves together scraps of paper foraged by the artist, some kept for
years by her family. With every layer of paste, she brings together meaning—often other
people’s. A mother’s dusty box of her daughter’s homework. The A+ spelling tests. The
homework deemed keep-worthy. A cut-out photo of artist, Judy Chicago. A career
fair pamphlet on radiology, just in case this art thing didn’t pan out. (Yes, these are real
examples.)
But first, a confession. Much like the overlapping paper in the Practice, my experience with the
work and my deep friendship with the artist cannot be pulled apart. And I think, actually, that
might be the point?
We all carry stories of the people in our lives. Sometimes as a power source. Sometimes as a
source of disease. But do you see the glue here? The permanence? There’s no separating who we
are and who we’ve surrounded ourselves with. If our lives are a poem, then they can only be
thought of as an After poem, a response to the poetry that’s come before us.”
Except from an After Poem written in response to the body of work.
After-Poem
Sept 20-30
Closing Reception 9/30
Soft Opening 9/20
Dorado 806 Projects
806 Broadway
Santa Monica, CA
Meghan DeRoma (b. Chicago, IL, US) is a visual artist and storyteller working in collage, painting, sculpture, and bookmaking. She currently lives and works in Los Angeles, CA.
mderoma.art
dorado906.com
