Regular gallery hours during the exhibition are Thursdays - Saturdays, 12pm to 6pm.

Payment plan options are available

Meet the Artist

For more than 20 years, Ralston Cyrus (@ralicyrus) has worked in what Steven Pressfield calls a “shadow profession,” building a career as a user experience and software product designer in fast-paced agency and IT environments. Yet since childhood, he has been pulled toward something quieter and more essential: a human-centered artistic practice. Cyrus creates introspective portrait and figure works that reflect a long-held desire for simplicity, honesty, and inner clarity. Over the past decade, his work has been exhibited throughout the DMV and East Coast, including a solo exhibition (A Decisive War, 2022) at the Strathmore Mansion, in Rockville, Maryland. Other exhibits include: Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, The Goodtime Hotel in Miami Beach during Art Basel, Artist & Makers Studios in Rockville, Capitol Hill Arts Workshop and Honfleur Gallery, both in DC. His drawings and paintings aim to reveal the subtle truths within his subjects—still, contemplative moments that mirror his own search for peace. Through his work, Cyrus echoes the universal hero’s journey: the challenge of returning to one’s true self and honoring the creative spark that endures beneath every detour.

Curatorial Statement

“Black portrait artists have long used the genre to assert presence, dignity, and self-definition in a society that has historically denied Black people visibility and humanity. From early studio photographers and painters crafting images of Black life in the face of enslavement and segregation, to contemporary artists who challenge dominant narratives and expand the possibilities of representation, their work forms a vital lineage of cultural memory and artistic innovation. In Dopamine Dreams, Ralston Cyrus extends this legacy of portraiture as both reverence and justice—reverence for the musical genius of famous figures such as Roy Ayers, Quincy Jones, Minnie Riperton, and Nina Simone and justice for the humanity and beauty that lies within everyday people. By eliminating all background in each work, Cyrus turns down the noise of any potential distraction and forces viewers to directly focus on the figure and primarily their face; there is nowhere else to look as Cyrus centers interiority and peace. While no one is smiling, there is still a calm presence and meditative, deep-breath energy around the room. As he says about his subjects, ‘this is a whole person with a soul.’ We can only guess what pleasure, motivation, or reward these figures dream of. Given the social landscape of increased anti-Blackness and dehumanization, perhaps they dream of a world that does not lump large groups of Black people into degraded piles or a time when their accomplishments and history are not being minimized or erased. We cannot be sure. Yet one thing is for certain: this impeccable image-making demonstrates a rich artistic vocabulary and mastery of craft that is above all else, simply beautiful. And the idea of Black beauty combined with complex humanity is perhaps the most radical dream of all.” -Gia Harewood