Sharon Norwood – Let it rain, n.d. – still from GIF animation
Digital opened yesterday to a capacity crowd. Sharon Norwood is one of the artists in this exhibition:
Bio
Sharon Norwood is an artist of Jamaican ancestry whose work spans several media including painting and ceramic. Norwood attended the University Of South Florida where she obtained a BFA in Painting. She has exhibited internationally, in Canada, the United States and Jamaica. Noted achievements include her participation in the National Gallery of Jamaica’s 2012 National Biennial, an invitation to the 50th anniversary of NCECA’s 2016 juried Student competition, and emerging artist recognition at the 2016 Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts. Sharon is currently a first year MFA candidate at Florida State University. She lives and works in Florida.
Sharon Norwood – Let it rain, n.d. – still from GIF animation
About the Work
“My work mainly deals with issues of race and identity. I am most interested in the double consciousness of black life. As an artist I use the studio as a safe space to work through questions that fracture my understanding of blackness and of self. My current work speaks to the identity politics of ‘black’ hair. On a day to day basis I encounter hair products, advertising and social comments aimed at changing, taming and making curly hair straight, more ‘beautiful,’ more acceptable. At times I find that my own thoughts mirror these sentiments as I battle my inner dialogue and acceptance of my hair.”
“By going back to the line and using drawing as a medium I am able to create strands of curly kinky hair. The repetitive, meditative marks allow times for self-reflection and creates an objective lens, allowing me distance and space to reflect on the natural curls. The simple lines reveal themselves and become beautiful, void of negative outside narrative. Let it Rain is a light hearted homage to the curly line, it is an attempt to remove the negative associations projected onto black hair, creating a space for celebration and acceptance.”
