Sharon Norwood is a multi-disciplinary artist, working in both 2D paintings and 3D ceramics. Born in Kingston Jamaica, she studied in Canada and the United States, receiving her Bachelors of Fine Arts Degree from the University of South Florida.
She uses hair in her works to explore different thematics: identity, politics, history, culture ...
See more of her work HERE (click) her website, Facebook, Instagram
Split Ends: Unfamiliar Landscape, fired decals on vintage porcelain, 2014
The Root of the Matter III, digital collage on paper, 2016
#Identity #Society #Culture
#Visual Art
#BlackHair
#BlackHair
#Jamaica
From Sharon Norwood's Website:
Split Ends (Drawing and Porcelain): A series of works that speak to the politics of hair and identity.
"The Root Of The Matter” (Digital Collage)
My work often deals with issues of identity where I use hair as a medium to explore complex relationships. “The Root Of The Matter” investigates past stories, spaces and histories, in order to challenge passive notions of looking.
The work is realized as digital collage prints on paper. Imagery is sourced from the MET 1840’s digital collection and aims to question historical constructed identity and explore the intersection of race and beauty. I really enjoy the shift between hair and line, how at one moment the work is read as hair while at other times it is simply a decorative mark. The line serves dually as simple gestural mark making and as racial markers for curly kinky hair.
Ultimately the work aims to investigate my own thoughts and insecurities about my hair, and pose questions about the right to exist in a place. It is meant to be multi-layered in it’s meaning, and to speak in nuanced ways about gender, beauty, race and class.
“Let it rain” (click to see the GIF Animation), 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. The work is meant to be viewed in gif format via a web browser.
#Identity #Society #Culture #Black
#Visual Art
#Jamaica
