Sonya Clark: Artist Talk

The theme of this post may be stated quite simply. It grew out of a sense to understand the artist, Sonya Clark, and the motivating force behind her work: purpose, drive, discovery and the like. Sonya was trained in the fiber arts. She weaves ideas and symbols into her thought provoking and demanding works of art which are created from ordinary objects/things (hair, combs, yarn, coins, a piece of cloth). These objects evolve into fresh, different, and creative works of art that fascinate me in their recreated sculptural forms. According to Sonya, our individual and collective stories are held in the object; "I work in series to reframe the object as a mediated compilation of our stories. In this way, the everyday thing becomes a lens through which we may better see one another."  

For the past few years, I have kept up with Sonya Clark through her monthly email updates and from reading various catalogues purchased during this period. However, about two weeks ago, I had an opportunity to personally meet and speak briefly with her at the opening reception of NEXT Generation exhibition at Contemporary Wing (Washington, DC). For me, this was an exciting and positive experience.... 

This Artist Talk resulted from an exhibition,The Global Africa Project, at the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD, New York) last year. The Global Africa Project surveyed the rich pool of new talent emerging from the African continent and its influence on artists around the world.  

Mixed-Media Sculpture        Questions         Call and Response

 

Ancestry       Hair        Combs         Material Culture

 

Roots        Influence