Art, in all of its various forms, often allows for both the exploration and expression of ones' lived experiences. While not all art must correlate to how one sees themselves or even how the world sees them, it's undoubtedly a great medium for channeling such matters. In the year 2020 where a number of happenings have proved to profoundly affect the lives of those within various communities, it's likely to be no surprise that the outlet of painting, sculpting, drawing, and - well, creating in general, was sure to be of great substance due to ample external inspiration. Though COVID-19 has brought about many unique and unfortunate circumstances, some artists still found it within to continue to produce impactful and influential work.
Through creating, these artists crafted striking visual experiences for viewers. In doing so, they captured the varied tones, textures, and realities of the communities to which they belong. Though various mediums are utilized to do so, within this list of five artists of note this year readers are sure to find someone whose mode of expression speaks to them.
1. Tiffany Alfonseca
Based in NY, Dominican-American artist Tiffany Alfosenca creates pieces worth talking about. With distinct vibrancy and generous usage of vivid colors, this artist’s paintings and drawings beautifully encapsulate the diverse and distinct nature of Black and Afro-Latinx culture. While lived experience informs Alfosenca’s paintings and drawings, there is an emphasis placed upon the depiction of a variety of experiences that both do and do not reflect the artist’s own life. The African and Afro-Latinx diaspora is made up of many rich realities - a facet of these communities that make them impenetrable. Other central themes reflected in her works that bring the aforementioned message home are, as Alfonsenca herself states, “womanhood, colorism, class, family, ritual, and memory” As such, the artist gets at the humanity of Black and Brown people by presenting them in spaces within which they interact with the world with unabashed joy.
2. Cassi A. Namoda
Born in Mozambique, NY and LA-based painter and performance artist Cassi A. Namoda creates work that speaks to issues of identity, culture, history, and the inherent relationship between the three. Speaking directly to matters of community and her own observations of the lived realities of those like her, Namoda’s work is uniquely personal. Having studied film and literature, her paintings are also informed by the narratives portrayed within those mediums. Other themes that can be examined within this artist’s creations are family, sacrifice, and joy. As far as the latter two are concerned, Namoda aims to explore the balance between them as she views joy and sacrifice to be central to how Black individuals navigate daily life. Aside from this, she has produced pieces that speak directly to cultural happenings Throughout 2020 - for example, the Zimbabwean Crisis.
3. PJ Harper
Having studied Fine Arts at the Glasgow School of Arts, artist PJ Harper remains based in Glasgow. Trained in the art of sculpture, Harper creates fairly realistic depictions of Black bodies using polymer clay. These works are meant to embody a celebration of Blackness, as well as speak to the broader discourse surrounding identity and race. Furthermore, Harper utilizes his own family ties and lived experiences to allow him to become inspired enough to create his visually pleasing pieces. The artist states that his work, “balances hedonism with a tangible sense of realism”. At their core, Harper’s sculptures are meant to highlight the heterogeneity of Blackness so as to combat wider narratives that suggest Blackness is defined by a standard, pre-prescribed set of characteristics.
4. Jae Daisy
Painter and textile designer Ja’Lyn Nicole, better known as Jae Daisy, is based out of Georgia and has a Bachelor of Fine Arts. She's trained in a variety of things from installation to handmade clothing, though painting proves to be one of the most prominent of her talents. Jae Daisy is currently enrolled at Savannah College of Art and Design studying to receive her Master's Degree in painting. Clearly passionate about her craft, Daisy sees painting as a means of both self-expression and self-exploration. Usage of symbolism, often tied to nature and Mother Earth - a prominent pattern that can be recognized across the artist’s various pieces. This is due to the great significance of these things within Daisy’s own life, as her work seeks to give life externally to the “colorful, extramundane experience of seeing the world through [her] eyes.”
5. Torin Ashtun
Both a painter and a model, Torin Ashtun has been creating since she was four years old. She utilizes a style called Surrealist Automatism which is the act of allowing the subconscious mind to put forth its vision onto the canvas without allowing the conscious mind to interfere. This creates distinctly different and abstract pieces. Typically, Ashtun produces such works with acrylic paint on either canvas or wood. Seeing both modeling and painting as a means of storytelling, she commits to making her creative vision an external reality. Her work is informed by her early childhood, which entailed three years of residing within a homeless shelter. With a single mother who was also an immigrant as her role model, she was influenced to harness her creativity as a means to escape. Now 21, Ashtun still sees painting as an appropriate medium to provide some sort of solace.
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