ARTIST STATEMENT
My paintings and films use figurative surrealism to investigate the themes surrounding the interiority of Black womanhood and childhood. While using motifs such as clocks, television sets, horses, toys, and other domestic and nostalgic items—I invite the viewer to understand the constant spite, anger, and reluctant humor I find in my experience of being a Black woman. The figures in my work are often contorted by reclaiming cubism to express a womanist lens. As Marmee March said to Jo (much to Jo’s surprise) in Little Women, “I am angry nearly everyday of my life,” I dilute my anger and turn it to spite so I can work from a place of misleading the viewer by incorporating childlike and jovial colors that can resemble pop art and commerciality, at first glance. The color choices illustrate a facade of what it takes to get through the day as a Millennial Black woman and child.
In the twenty-first century, society is always meme-ifying Black emotions and expression for comedy, dehumanization, or capitalist gain. As an antithesis of that, my work forces the viewer to immerse themselves in the thoughts and experiences of Black people.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Christl Stringer is a Black surrealist figurative painter, writer, and filmmaker whose work has shown at SPRING/BREAK Art Show, Latela Curatorial, Hot Bed Gallery, Maake Projects Gallery, and more. Through her art and writing she explores the interiority of the Black womanhood and childhood experiences. Her films and scripts have been accepted into NFFTY, Nashville Film Festival, New Haven International Film Festival, and Another Hole In The Head Film Festival.
© Christl Stringer