ARTIST Sharidyn Barnes

She investigates the superficialities of medium to talk about the complexities of black life.

In her exhibition Unseen, Sharidyn Barnes displays an overview of her work while getting her M.F.A. Depicting other students of color, she explores the European style of painting, influenced by hip hop and popular culture. Using portraiture and full-figured images, she is inspired by showing the authenticity and humanity of the black experience.

Through mark-making, she navigates the white gaze, while allowing the subjects to be fully present and their own individuals. Challenging the Western standard of beauty, she investigates the superficialities of the medium to talk about the complexities of black life.

Sharidyn-Barnes-Self-Portrait

Sharidyn Barnes
‘Self Portrait’
(2021)
56×68
oil and oil stick on canvas

Donation

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