“What is authentic? An atmosphere that convinces you before you’ve had time to analyse it for anachronisms of its intrinsic aptness to this place and its history… In innumerable places, in countless cities and scenes, you can find that unbroken cord of authenticity…” —Philip Glazbrook, Journey to Khiva

Marmo Gallery is delighted to present Multimodal Anthropology // Everything Is Self-Portrait, a solo exhibition showcasing two bodies of work by Llyn De Danaan.

This exhibition marks the debut of De Danaan’s retablos–large multimedia works that transform her anthropological sensibility into an art form, incorporating photographs from her vast archive. It also features a series of self-portraits by De Danaan, inspired by surrealist artists.

A retablo is a devotional painting, traditionally depicting Catholic iconography, scenes from everyday life, or devotional figures such as saints. The term comes from the Latin, retro tabulum, meaning “behind the altar table.” Though retablos originate in European Catholicism, they have evolved into a rich folk art tradition across many cultures, often serving as visual narratives. 

De Danaan’s retablos represent her sense of places she’s lived, worked, and traveled. They are homages to both places and people—as well as a search for the essence of a place. These works are exercises in bricolage, montage, and assemblage, incorporating her photographs, along with other carefully chosen items that complement each piece’s narrative. De Danaan describes these pieces as an exercise in multimodal anthropology.

Everything is Self-Portrait is a series of De Danaan’s surrealist photography. Long inspired by surrealist artists, she has staged her own surrealist self-portraits as an homage to their imaginative spirit.

Through both her retablos and surrealist photography, De Danaan’s work bridges personal memory and collective storytelling, blurring the boundaries between documentation and artistic interpretation, self and other.

Llyn De Danaan is a cultural anthropologist, writer, photographer, and textile artist with an unmistakably queer sensibility. She is a happy 50-year resident of Oyster Bay, Kamilche, Washington, and lives with her companion animal, Apple.

That is not Llyn De Danaan sitting in the carriage under her topi. Except in her dreams. It is Ella Christie in Uzbekistan, early 1900’s.