FEATURED DESIGNER AND/OR ARTISTS: CYDNEY CAMP

Artist statement: My practice in oil painting and drawing is founded on an investigation of what it means to exist as a Black person in America. My work posits leisure and luxury as radical in the face of a world that constantly demands labor, culture, and respectability from Black bodies, especially Black women. I collage scenes from my own life, and the lives of others, to depict Black, often femme, figures existing in realities untouched by pervasive misogynoir. My work aims to dissolve the dissonance between vulnerability and strength: in the worlds of my paintings, nude women recline, exposed but wholly in control, and Black men lounge as they birdwatch in the park, completely undisturbed, creating a commentary on racialized power dynamics and the boundaries of respectability politics. These themes are amplified through my opulent color palettes and the incorporation of abstract compositional elements, resulting in scenes that are grounded in realism but imbued with an otherworldly quality that situates them as sites for healing and restorative futures. 

Statement on art and healing: I have made art since before I could talk, forever making it my most natural form of communication. The process of creation, along with openly expressing my thoughts, ideas, and emotions to the world, is a cathartic act that offers significant emotional release when I find my creative flow.

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UNTITLED SELF PORTRAIT

Medium: Oil and Acrylic paint on canvas

Size:24" h x 18" w

Circa: 2021

From private collection

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