My approach to representing myself and my heritage within my art is that of softness. In contrast to the sickening precedent set by the likes of Kara Walker and her ilk, I go into the studio to escape the harshness of the world. I believe that Kara Walker created a significant shift in Black art in the 1990s when she entered the art scene post graduation with morbid silhouettes of surreal slave imagery. For so long, trauma, horror, and racism has been the standard for Black art that sells on white markets. Sensational and self-depreciating images are still common among contemporary Black artists that want to sell and become well-known, but it’s not my taste to view or make. I also don’t always fit into the art world formula where Black culture is exchanged for cash and cool is the currency.
I made a deliberate choice early on to keep my original pieces and NOT sell them. I have freed myself from the pressure of the racist art markets. As a radical form of self-expression, I practice individualism, as a Black woman and artist. While my love for my heritage, history, culture, nationality, and ethnicity is reflected in my art, I feel no need place myself in ‘art communities’ where I am not wanted or where I will not fit in comfortably. My art journey is solitary and introspective, thus it is NOT representing the whole of the Black community, struggle, or experience. Art-making is therapeutic and my resulting work is a metaphorical self-portrait.
Have a Pleasant Day!
-Rae