My work responds to the unsolicited commentary and physical interactions I have experienced with the people around me concerning my ethnicity and physical appearance. My practice this semester is rooted in printmaking; the 15x17 inch posters are printed on newsprint and presented outside an institutional art setting, intended to be distributed and displayed in public. I am interested in the use of posters to create a public sphere as they engage with public space. The texture of the ink upon the newsprint and the hand-carved letters indicate the direct intervention of my hand in the work. The bold presentation of the red letters layered over the black self-portrait brings attention to the harassment and racial microaggressions I face as a biracial woman.
The poster displayed in the niche gallery is a miniature representation of the larger posters I have been working on this semester. The lettering and self-portrait were both carved out of 1/8-inch linoleum. The letters have to be carved backwards in order to have them read from left to right. Each print is comprised of three layers of ink. The self-portrait is inked in black before the text is inked first in white, then red to make the text stand out from the self-portrait.
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