By GARY DEMUTH
For Subvert Studio
Despite being tear gassed and maced at a murder protest in Kansas City, Dominick Williams kept snapping photographs of the scene.
Williams’ tenacity and determination to capture history with his camera lens would pay off. His photos of a protest march by Kansas City citizens, one of many nationwide sparked by the May 2020 murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, led to national exposure from the national news magazine The Atlantic.
“After I photographed the protest, I put the photos online,” said Williams, a former Salina resident who now lives in Kansas City, Kan. “An editor from The Atlantic saw them and requested the use of them for their website.”
Williams’ professional fortune continued. After covering a rally by former president Donald Trump in Tulsa, Okla., Williams’ photos of the event were published by both The Atlantic and Rolling Stone magazine.
“It was a great opportunity, so it made sense to keep doing what I was doing,” he said.
Williams will be showing a collection of his documentary photography and editorial portraiture at Subvert Studio, a new gallery space in downtown Salina, during First Friday events from 5 to 9 p.m. March 4.
“It will be an assortment of stuff I’ve shot over the last several years, along with stuff I’ve never printed before,” he said.
Subvert Studio, 116 E. Iron Avenue, is a combination art gallery and tattoo business owned and operated by Cody Sanders, a longtime friend of Williams. Sanders, a tattoo artist who opened the business three months ago, said he wanted to “add to the culture of what the city is trying to do downtown.”
“I wanted to have a new artwork space to keep me inspired,” he said.
Exhibiting Williams’ photography was an easy choice for Sanders’ grand opening event, but he said his decision goes beyond a friendship that began in middle school and continued after graduation from Salina Central High School.
“It was important for me to have someone from here for our first show, and someone from my generation,” Sanders said. “I’ve watched Dominick grow as an artist. He’s very good at capturing atmosphere and environment, creating relatable content and experiences of what we’re going through.”
Williams, who attended the University of Kansas and the Art Institute of Colorado in Denver, has previously participated in group exhibits, including a recent exhibit at Kansas Wesleyan University. He said this is his first solo show and is excited to display his work as part of the Salina downtown art scene.
“What I’m trying to produce is reflective of society in general, whatever the situation might be,” he said. “It’s all about keeping it real and honest about the subject.”
The opening reception for Williams also will include entertainment provided by DJ K-ODD (Salinan Chris Riley) and catering by Tyler Gallagher of Seraphim Bread in downtown Salina.
Sanders said he hopes this is the beginning of many shows and events that Subvert Studio will host downtown. His next planned show will be a group exhibit featuring selected Salina visual artists.
“I want to give people a platform in downtown Salina who may not always have an opportunity to exhibit,” he said.