By Jadzia Pho
Roma Devanbu speaks on her solo exhibition and the human fascination with collection and creation
Axis Gallery is an artist-run space located at 625 S Street in Sacramento housed in the Verge Center for the Arts Building. Members are emerging and established artists who show regionally, nationally, and internationally. One of this month’s shows is “POSSESSED, New Work by Roma Devanbu” running from May 2nd to June 1st 2025.
Multidisciplinary artist and art pilgrim, Roma Devanbu explores the innate human desire to create and imbue meaning through mixed media artworks. Drawing inspiration from historical forms of craft, Celestial City reinterprets intricate 17th century ivory carvings using found objects and paper maché. Devanbu explains that the contemporary version of the creative endeavor maintains the spirit of art making that these young noblemen had.
Celestial City, 2025
“I hope that the pieces transcend their materials on some level, but I also really like that the pieces are clearly stuck together with glue and different kinds of paper, and maybe some objects that you can recognize because I want them to experience how the imagination can go beyond the materials, like being a little kid making a rocket ship out of cardboard boxes. Our imaginations become collaborative.”
Devanbu’s art emphasizes the collaborative relationship between art and the viewer. Humans imbue art with meaning; forms, titles, and plaques can help guide the interpretation, but people provide value to the work.
“The materials are not denied or hidden, but if we relax we can together go into a willful suspension of disbelief, where we’re going to decide together to– even though we know this is a cardboard box– we’re going to transcend it together and go into the fantasy of it.”
Roma Devanbu
Monstrance, Reliquaries and Goblets, 2025
This exhibition is an open invitation to reflect on visitors’ personal experiences with art making. Axis Gallery has provided a space for people to connect with others and embrace creativity.
“I was referring to feeling like, as an artist, feeling like–even if I’m a tiny part– what a privilege that I end up getting to live my life as part of this flow, this kind of tiny drip in this huge river of creative endeavors. Being part of Axis feels that way too because you make your work that’s a little isolating sometimes, so you can kind of forget that you’re part of a kind of bigger flow. So being part of Axis is like that, but I think for people that come into Axis really a lot of people walk in off the street. I think that’s one of the things about our location, it’s not really in the art district, but people walk in off the street who really have not been to museums or galleries before, and I love that. It’s a friendly environment, so when they come in, I think they’re generally kind of welcome. They, hopefully, make you feel at home. I feel like, hopefully, it makes the art experience less intimidating.”
POSSESSED, New Work by Roma Devanbu will be displayed at the gallery in downtown Sacramento from May 2nd to June 1st 2025.
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