What I Do: 2/15/09

2.19.2009

Constructing Identities/Imagination

Quick, in-progress cell phone pics. (gettin ready for grad critique tomorrow)

next time u see this, it'll be finished and the wig head will be fully carved and cast in metal...im thinkin bronze

Artist Statements

Installation work

My installation work is centered around my experiences with domestic violence. I am providing the audience with sacred spaces that inhabit a layer of what abuse has created. These spaces are wooden rooms decorated with a wallpapered exterior and a padded, crocheted interior--metaphor for my body. These rooms are meant to draw on the comfort one feels within an uncomfortable situation/environment/relationship(s). Within these rooms, audio is to be heard.

The pictured installation is another domestic violence piece that speaks to the confusion and conflict that opposing parents inflict onto their children. It is a playful, yet scary environment. Audio completes this installation as well.

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My work is rooted in cultural acceptance, perceptions, and identity. I have been exploring the African American culture that I identify with and picking out the connections that I have with other cultures and peoples. In this way, I am able to stay true to my own background with my imagery while at the same time using it in a way that others can and should be able to identify with in some way.
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The Angry Hair Series is about women who have ever been angry about the hair that they were born with for any reason. The focus is on women of color but the conversation extends to all women and men of all nationalities. The construction of these paintings include a visible grid, color wash, and multiple layers to acknowledge the complexities and layered content of these issues of self.
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With my newest work, I am adding the word “imagination” to my toolbox by creating wigs that no one would actually wear in real life, but that address issues that people want to change about themselves via their hair. I am intrigued by the common thread that people often imagine themselves with something different than what they were born with. These “wigs”/hats open discussion around the question, “How would you like to see yourself?”

My Influences

Alison Saar
Althea Murphy-Price
Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson
Ann Hamilton
bell hooks
Benny Andrews
Beverly McIver
Cathleen Lewis
Chakaia Booker
Colin Chase
David Hammons
Debra Priestly
Doho Suh
Ellen Gallagher
Janine Antoni
Jason Briggs
Jason Briggs
Joan Livingstone
Kehinde Wiley
Kerry James Marshall
Kevin Cole
Kiki Smith
Kori Newkirk
Lorna Simpson
Louise Bourgeois
Magdalena Abakanowicz
Mark Bradford
Mitch Lyons
Nadine Robinson
Radcliffe Bailey
Sana Musasama
Sharin Neshat
Shinique Smith
Sonia Boyce
Sonya Clark
William Hunter
Willie Cole
Willis "Bing" Davis
Xenobia Bailey

What I Do

2.19.2009

Constructing Identities/Imagination

2.16.2009

A Few Images from Asbury College Intercultural Art Night-More coming soon!

Artist Statements

The Artist

Bio

Art To Wear

My Influences

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