So this one was wild, man. The Milk Solo Exhibition was honestly one of those moments where you realise why it is so important to show up, even when you don’t feel like it.
Suzanne, who is the founder of Jelly, is honestly such a great person. She has always shown me so much love and support, and we had built a really good rapport over time. She had an event going on at Milk one Sunday, and that day I was not feeling it at all. I was drained. I was really down, and if I am being honest, I did not want to go. But I just thought, Suzanne has been there for me, she has supported me so much, so let me just go and help out. I told myself, I will go, help out, and when I am done, I will dip.
Before leaving, I had this small voice in my head saying, be open, there is going to be an opportunity here. It was not some universe energy thing. For me, it felt Christ-inspired, that kind of gentle nudge where you just know. So I listened.
I got dressed, showed up, helped Suzanne out, and honestly, it turned out to be an amazing day. The turnout was great, people showed up and showed love, Suzanne sold out everything, and everyone just vibed. You could really feel that sense of community and support.
That is what is beautiful about Jelly and Suzanne. They will always push you to step into new spaces. At one point, she said to me, David, you should get some canvas and paint here, showcase yourself a bit. I just laughed it off and said, nah, I am good, not today, because truthfully I was finished, man. I did not have the energy. But she smiled and said, alright, but at least let me introduce you to Tim, the owner of Milk.
So I met Tim. He was super chill, and it was one of those quick introductions. He said, hey, I am Tim. I told him I was an artist, showed him a bit of my work, and he said, wicked, this looks sick. We talked for a few minutes, he told me to follow him on Instagram, and said maybe we could work on something together. I was like, sure, definitely, but honestly, I did not even know what that meant at the time.
A few weeks went by, and I had just finished this small project, a video game called Hearts and Heroes, which I will talk about later. I posted it on Instagram, and not long after, I got this message from Milk saying, hey David, this is cool, awesome stuff, would you like to do a solo exhibition here? I literally froze. I was like, wait, what? A solo show? I did not even need to think twice. Within days, everything was set up.
Tim asked for a picture of my work to use for the promo. I did not want to reuse old pieces, so I waited until I had something that really represented where I was at creatively. Around that same time, I had just finished You’re a Biscuit, and I sent that over. The next day, Tim posted it on Instagram: Solo Exhibition for David Kudaisi. My followers saw it, his followers saw it, and it just blew up.
That was one of those moments where you are just like, nah, this cannot just be coincidence. This has to be God. Everything lined up perfectly. The exhibition lasted about two months, and it was beautiful. I made sales too. The sous chef I used to work with and her partner came through and bought the two twin pieces that were on display. It was such a full-circle moment.
People were messaging me, saying how much they loved the work. When I would go into the café to check on it, people would stop me and say, hey, did you make this? I would say yeah, and they would reply, wow, this really adds something to the space. Even walking the paintings through town on the way to Milk, people would stop me, compliment the work, and one guy even followed me on Instagram right there on the street.
It was crazy, man. Stuff like that really hits you because it is not just about the art anymore, it is about the journey. These are the moments that remind me why I do what I do. It is not just coincidence. It is grace. God’s grace, His favour, His timing, all of it.
The Milk Solo Exhibition was not just another show. It was a lesson in showing up, even when you are tired, because you never know what is waiting on the other side. It was about gratitude, faith, and divine timing. Having two solo exhibitions running at the same time was surreal. It was a full-circle blessing, and honestly, all I could feel was thanks.