I was told and now I tell
This work is a mixed media collaged ceramic wall piece
3.125"x 1.75"x 3.75
And you as well
porcelain, underglaze, gouache, pastels, graphite, platáno printed fabric, acrylic paint, gold leaf and a variety of papers
14”x 13”x 0.5”
2017
And so they stood, porcelain, underglaze, gouache, fabric, 28"x 12"x 3", 2017
Artist statement
Growing up, people begin to deal with the idea of identity, not just who we are but how we place ourselves within groups beyond our families. My parents were from the Caribbean, I was connected to multiple cultural groups. I became aware that the way I presented layers of my past could be used to validate my desired place within these groups. Reflecting on my struggle, I began to question the way we construct personal history in service to our desire for belonging. In this work the color is driven by historical floor patterns from the Caribbean. These faux tile mosaics are a product of colonialism, used as a way to showcase ones European lineage while distancing from ones African and Native lineage. However when we look at the history of these tile patterns it is reveled they are derived from Moroccan tiles. I am drawn to the idea that, while constructing the colonial Ideal these tiles are actually representative of African histories. In conjunction with these patterns I also look at the tale of The Ugly Duckling, a narrative that perpetuates the value of visually belonging a path to finding ones “true” place. Through layering of materials and patterns, historical, found, and invented my work explores this narrative and the constructed nature of the past to reveal our desire for belonging.
