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Grant Recipient

me @ colonizers, 2018, ceramic, approximately 4" x 2" x 16" each

Sydnie Jimenez

Windgate-Lamar Fellowship

2020

Artist Statement

I make figurative work of brown youth with varied personalities to show individuality within communities on the fringes of popular culture rooted in white supremacy. The navigation through this toxic eurocentric foundation has shaped the way the world views brown people and how we view ourselves in relation to whiteness. I want to spark conversations around style, self-expression, internal reflection, and the observation of the self by others in relation to the post-colonial society we live in along with the many connotations this has. With the rebellious and suspicious nature of my figures I want to show the “tough” or “angry, mean, and bitchy” demeanors in which especially brown women take on or are projected onto as a defense mechanism combatting an unwelcoming world from every aspect (socially, economically, etc.) With the unclear ethnicity/ race/ gender of these figures I’m thinking about racial ambiguity, meaning people from all over the world can look alike. Race is merely a social construct created by humans to categorize each other into groups based on phenotype and location. With my figures I want to show the similarities humans share (which falsifies white supremacy,) yet also show culture and style because of the importance of preserving the individuality and richness of different groups of people and negating the colonialist plight of the erasure of non-white culture. It's vital to see black and brown bodies in an art form that's representing living people.

Bio of the Artist

Organization Background

Location

Chicago, IL

EDUCATION

School of the Art Institute of Chicago

SPECIALIZATION

sculpture and ceramics

Institution

Grant amount

$15,000

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