Noah Davis

We are proud to have played a part in bringing the work of Noah Davis to life in this landmark exhibition at the Barbican. As specialist fabricators, Raskl was honoured to contribute to the presentation of Davis’ powerful and moving work. Based in Los Angeles, Davis created figurative paintings that explore Black life and identity. Motivated by a desire to ‘represent the people around me’, Davis painted intimate scenes of people diving into pools, sleeping, dancing, and contemplating art. 

For this exhibition, Raskl worked closely with curators, Freehaus Architects, exhibition designers, and museum teams to help shape and build a thoughtful environment that honours Davis’ artistic legacy. The exhibition surveys the full scope of Davis’ practice from 2007 until his untimely death in 2015, showcasing his work as a painter, curator, and co-founder of the Underground Museum in Los Angeles.

The exhibition design used simple materials, subtle colours, and light to reflect the DIY spirit of the Underground Museum, and open space promotes an atmosphere mimicking the artist’s community driven ethos. Our collaborative approach ensured the design was translated into a high-quality environment while keeping Davis’ work at the heart of the exhibition. 

We designed and fabricated custom elements including a number of partition walls combining solid timber, MDF, and fabric scrim finishes that seamlessly integrated with existing architecture. We also produced plywood plinths, lightboxes, and integrated seating to showcase the artist's work.

The comprehensive installation included a 7m × 2.4m birch plywood shelving unit for the gift shop. Despite challenging time constraints, Raskl completed the delivery & installation within an 8-day schedule, demonstrating our expertise in high-quality bespoke production for prestigious cultural institutions.

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Photography by Eva Herzog & Jack Storey