Description
One piece, no frame needed.
20 x 16 inch (h x w)
Mixed Media with Human Hair on Canvas
Artist Statement:
A nexus can be defined as “a connection or series of connections linking two or more things.” I am drawn to these points of intersection that we exist in. I seek the nexuses that stem from seemingly distant concepts, where the connecting points are muddled — points that are not stagnant or unmoving, but that are in a state of perpetual shift and dynamic changes. This is the space I make work in and attempt to make sense of.
This stems from personally existing in these dynamic spaces, these chaotic nexuses. I have spent my life balancing these points and seeking a sense of place, making sense of the complexity of who I am. I was born and raised in Appalachia, a predominantly white and poor area, raised by a white mother and the strong women of her family in the absence of my black father. I am queer, I am non-binary, I am black, I am white, I am Appalachian. Growing up visibly black in an area without representation, and without the full, welcoming embrace of the totality of myself within any one of my disparate communities, has made me more aware of myself and the social contexts in which I exist; in the absence of wider social affirmation, I have had to focus on who I am, finding my own identity and affirming its value to myself. Now, I am an artist, an advocate for my communities, a witch, a drag queen, a mentor and educator. It is between these spaces and roles that I exist, and through sculpture, painting, performance, installation, drag, ritual, magic, and outreach, I make work that grounds me and represents the nexuses in which I exist and the communities that nurture and support them.
The piece Porch Braids focus on my identity in the home space. Home is often the only space where queer and trans people of color can feel safe, although even that is not a guarantee. The one sanctuary where our guards are let down, where the armor comes off, and we can rest and be at home with ourselves and with our bodies.
