Where We Dwell
by Brian Lathan
Exhibition Dates: March 2026 – March 2027
Location: Post-Security, E Concourse
This exhibition dwells in the fragile space between escapism, indulgence, and restraint, tracing the quiet negotiations we make with ourselves in the name of care. It considers how presence and avoidance coexist, and how the desire for escape can gently, almost invisibly, eclipse the needs of the self we house within.
Each figure contains a smaller version of themselves, dwelling inside an exposed headspace where a ramshackle interior offers both shelter and unease. The absent crown of the larger figure reveals this inner home at a suspended moment—just before neglect becomes recognizable, before damage announces itself. Fluorescent color and halftone imagery offer their brightness and patterning to soften and obscure the somber tenderness beneath.
The viewer is invited to dwell and consider the things we dwell on or with, such as ourselves, our habits, and the inner spaces we construct for care and survival. The work positions the viewer as observer, mirror, and voyeur, allowing questions of coping, presence, and care to surface without resolution.
Installed at the airport, this exhibition is shaped by transience. Departures and arrivals echo the fleeting nature of presence and awareness, sharpening the tension between passing through and dwelling. The series seeks to mesmerize the viewer—hovering between allure and introspection, between nourishment and neglect, between indulgence and restraint.
About the Artist: Brian Lathan
Born and located in St. Louis, Brian Lathan is an artist and educator who explores printmaking, illustration and sculpture as his primary form of art creation. He examines the dynamics of print, print ephemera, digital illustration, and sculpture, persistently exploring these mediums as means to express personal and subjective commentary and narration. Currently, he is an instructor of printmaking at multiple universities around St. Louis. Lathan recently received a grant from Regional Arts Commission for a large mural, which can be seen on Cherokee Street in St. Louis.
Lathan’s work can be described as powerful statements rendered in vibrant color. His prints grip the viewer in ways that challenge our perception of the world. He dives headlong into the relevant topics of the day such as oppression, imperialism, and environmental stress, as well as universal themes of grief, loss, and the hope that follows.
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