My name is Deshion McKinley I am a multidisciplinary artist born and raised in St.Louis, Missouri. I come from an academic background with both my mother and father being in the schooling system since I was a child. The love for art is something that I’ve not only felt that I would die for, but something that runs so deep to me that I couldn’t imagine a life without it. It’s a space of vulnerability and also a look into the real version of someone if they’re true enough to tell it. You can learn a lot about someone if you take the time to actually look.
48 hours in DePere Wisconsin
Is a photo zine that showcases normalcy within a small trip back to the Midwest. Both born and raised in the Midwest, we tend to bond over small things like cheap coffee, walking around Walmart in your pajamas, and the differences of accents from St. Louis natives to Wisconsinites This was not planned to be released or even shot at all; it just happened to come up within the days of boredom.
Everything was shot inside of Leatrice's childhood home and barn, where she bought her horse "Sweet Naughty Natasha" for $500 when she was around 12 years old.
The sport of horsing is a very unique practice; I've noticed it's done with care, love, and adrenaline from both the rider and the animal. I never understood the whole horse girl thing that I've heard throughout the years until stepping out on the barn and seeing the different amount of emotions that's being pursued on and off the rink.
The fashion choices were a mix of her mother's clothes and Goodwill clothes that we purchased once discovering we should do a fun shoot.
From her old home that hasn't been touched or redecorated since being a kid, from the smell of her room and manure reeking from the farming industry that you can't escape at all, and from the normalcy of just existing —
48 Hours in DePere, Wisconsin
Tell us about how you ended up in DePere, Wisconsin, for 48 hours.
Visiting family is how I ended up there. My girlfriend is from Wisconsin and Edwardsville, Illinois, which is about a 20-minute drive from St. Louis, where I was born and raised. Something cool about this trip was the fact that all of her family from Tokyo flew in and stayed in the Wisconsin home for a few months, so we got to spend time with her grandmother, aunt, and cousins. They love visiting America—it was a very sweet time.
Was there a narrative behind the imagery? Or did everything come together as you shot?
Everything just came together as we shot. This was not a plan beforehand, just something that struck me while being in the environment. I was bored, trying not to work and leave everything behind in LA, but me being me, I had to do something. So the next day, we went to the Goodwill in Oshkosh, grabbed a few clothes and shoes while also utilizing her mom’s closet, and we just had fun with it. No pressure, no expectations.
For the exhibition, what advised your choices for the large scale prints?
Space and lack of being a “photographer.” I really appreciate photographers—and I’m not that. I make images and create things when it’s necessary for my overall objective. Everything was captured with an iPhone, so I felt as if I needed to make up for the lack of not having a digital camera or a film camera, so I made the prints huge to make up for it. I looked at this as an installation to create a fun experience. Maybe one day I’ll call myself a “photographer” when I take the time out of my day to learn how to load a camera, or even edit—but I hate just jumping into something and calling myself that.
Can I ask you a question? If I make a few meals really well, does that make me a chef?
Anyone can take a photo nowadays. That accessibility is awesome but leads to what feels like an oversaturation of images sometimes. What makes an image stand out to you?
The connection that I get from it. If it leaves me wondering and looking at it for a while.
Sometimes the ratio matters, sometimes it doesn't—maybe it could be the subject that stands out, or even the person who takes it. I always talk about the “manipulation” of an artist. Sometimes it’s the artist, not even the art—but then it all ties together.
You grew up as a skater; how does this affect your art practice and your life today?
If I want something, I go get it no matter how many times I fail and fall. Skateboarding is so structural and mentally such a great way of discipline. You get bruised up, you fall, you might get close to the thing you want for hours, but you don’t leave or stop trying until you land it. Sometimes you land it but it wasn’t right, so you do it again—the outfit wasn’t right, so you do it again in a new outfit. You keep going until you land it how you imagined in your head. I think that’s a very strong thing to capture at a young age and apply to anything you want to attack.
When it comes to your styling work: what accessory do you go to most to elevate a look?
Earrings, jewelry, and honestly makeup. Makeup artists are so important to creating an overall image or feeling—it’s honestly insane. As well as hairstylists.
What’s the most Missouri thing about you?
Manners. Speaking and acknowledging people with nothing more to it. My mom would smack me upside my head if I did not acknowledge someone just because I felt like I didn’t need to speak. “No ma’am, yes ma’am, yes sir, no sir,” etc. If someone’s in the way, you say “excuse me” instead of looking confused in the face as if the person can read your mind… common sense.
Also, I’m just a simple guy: white V-neck T-shirt or a holey T-shirt with skinny jeans and a cup of coffee. It’s a gateway to my happiness. I don't need much. Simplicity.
We’ve been talking about how trend culture—especially in fashion and what’s considered “cool”—seems to be cycling faster than ever. How do you navigate that as an artist while also being aware of those trends?
Staying true to my culture and what I like. Heavy on what “I LIKE.” My mom would always say, “History repeats itself.” I factor that in with trends. I don’t want to set a trend or be a trendsetter—that’s not my job, nor do I care. But I do think it’s smart to pay attention to what’s hot and what’s not. Don’t give it too much energy, but don’t be completely oblivious. I think solely focusing on trends and what’s liked will be your demise. If you build your career on only listening to and doing what the consumer or fans want, you will be a puppet, and they will control you. Sprinkling in some things but unapologetically being you and gaining that support, I think, will take you further.
You are also a painter: how does fine art influence the other mediums that you engage with? Did you have a first love when it came to a medium? What made you want to try this new (printing and designing a photo book)?
It’s definitely an advantage, I would like to think. I look at things as having no boundaries and no rules when it comes to creativity. It’s all an expression that’s put into a digestible tab for consumers and the audience. Whether they like it or not is a different thing, but I feel as if my painting background definitely gave me a stubborn attitude toward creating only what I like.
I feel like all the mediums I engage with translate to each other in some form—it’s all in conversation with each other. But, painting is definitely my first love. I'm excited to get back to it when it’s time. The way I approach imagery, styling, and art direction all comes from a place of a “visual painting,” just not on a canvas or with a paintbrush. What made me try a new medium is just curiosity and boredom. I have love for all different mediums and artists. I like to bounce around from thing to thing to mold my own language. I also hate sticking to a label—very limiting and confusing. Do what you want when you want, if that’s the way you choose to create.
If you could spend 48 hours anywhere, where would you go and why?
2016.
I could be in the middle of nowhere and if it’s 2016, we lit. I'm not going to say people did not realize how good 2016 was, because that’s a lie. I think we all understood how good it was, and that’s why it’s sad.
You mentioned that since your opening, you have received a lot of positive reception— is this project going to have a pt. 2? How has this project opened up your trajectory as an artist?
I'm bringing “48 Hours in DePere, Wisconsin” to L.A. in November of 2025. I’m very excited to bring a new experience to the L.A. installation that’s completely different from the NYC one.
So far, I think it’s just brought me more eyes on my work. A lot of people are just now getting introduced to me, while others have been along for the ride since day one. I welcome everyone with open arms. More people have been reaching out for certain things—a lot of it has not gone through, but at least I’m brought up in conversation. My mom would always say, “You will hear a thousand no’s before a yes.”
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