Flames, Figures, and Lamborghini Hoods — Inside The Fire This Time at The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

David-Jeremiah is a conceptual powerhouse whose work already holds space in major institutions like the Dallas Museum of Art. The Oak Cliff-based artist has amassed an impressive exhibition history in recent years, and now his captivating works are on display at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.

David-Jeremiah: The Fire This Time, organized by guest curator Christopher Blay, features 27 of the 28 monumental works in his series Hood N**as Camping. Anchored on themes of fire, myth, and his recurring Lamborghini references, the show feels at once primal and transcendent.

A Monumental Vision in Fort Worth

Some museum exhibitions keep visitors at a distance. David-Jeremiah: The Fire This Time is not one of those shows. Here, viewers are encircled by towering figures — Lamborghini hoods transmuted into anthropomorphic triptychs soaring more than 10 feet high. Standing at the center of these black forms feels like stepping into an ancient ritual or communion. For me, the scale of the works was overwhelming but not threatening.

Standing at the center of the encircling figures places the viewer in the fire itself — within the transformative force that once mesmerized our ancestors and provided warmth and protection. The stoic works invite participation, through in what remains unclear. Nearby, other sculptures sprout upward-facing hooks from red or black surfaces that are less human in form but offer a colorful and texturally nuanced foil to the solemn black triptychs.

With the current exhibition, David-Jeremiah continues his exploration of a recurring symbol that threads his practice. The Lamborghini hood, an emblem of wealth, masculinity, and speed, is abstracted into geometric forms, far removed from its original design and function. If exotic sports cars can be repurposed for the whims of an artist, maybe there is a deeper message of transformation at play.

The Universal Themes in David-Jeremiah’s Vision

In the exhibition’s Forward, The Modern’s chief curator, Andrea Karnes, notes that the series’ title “points to the power of reclamation and its transformative ability to repurpose and redefine. It also speaks to the challenges of being a Black man in America, accounting for its joys and traumas, areas of potentiality, resilience, and transcendence.”

Contemporary art can feel unapproachable to some, especially when the messages seem buried beneath layers of references to past works, artists, and movements. One of the strengths of David-Jeremiah’s practice is its ability to readily connect with viewers through universal themes expressed in unique and engaging ways. We all share a common ancestral history shaped by fire and myth, and we all carry the power to transform the world around us.

David-Jeremiah: The Fire This Time will be on view at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth through November 2, 2025.