Profile in Black Artists: Angie Redmond
We would like to introduce you to Angie Redmond, a Chicago-based artist. Angie is currently pursuing a Master in Fine Arts degree in Painting from Northern Illinois University. She has been passionate about art for many years and has pursued multiple degrees in the field, with a particular focus on painting.
Angie uses her art as a means to promote social change. She uses the subject of social justice to insist on change in stereotypes of cultures through the concept of humanistic emotions. In her paintings, she uses color to emphasize the complexities of race and its value to human emotions and behaviors. Her work is inclusive of all cultures and seeks to respect our differences and honor our similarities. Angie’s artwork has been show national in a number of museums, galleries and universities, including Chicago, New York City, Miami and Michigan.
You can find Angie at her website, her Facebook or her Instagram @angieredmondartist! We had the chance to hear from Angie on her work and process. Check out our interview below:
How did you start making art?
I have been making art for as long as I can remember. I have always been attracted to faces and their various expressions. As a kid, I started by duplicating celebrity images from magazines with charcoal and paper. In undergraduate school I was introduced to oil paint and I immediately fell in love! I love the robust, thick, and vibrant intrinsic qualities of oil paint. Using my oil paint, while being inspired by people and current events, I thrive to create art that is interesting and beautiful.
What are you trying to say with your work?
My work is about encouraging the individual and being unapologetic about who you are. I want my art to be thought provoking and inspiring. I use my art to tell my story through personal and current societal events; as a means to promote social change. I use the subject of social justice to insist on change in stereotypes of cultures through the concept of humanistic emotions. For instance, reoccurring themes in my art include; justice towards black bodies, the beauty of natural African American hair, and self-esteem and encouragement in oneself. I use color to emphasize the complexities of race and its value to human emotions and behaviors. My work is not limited to the voice of one culture, but is speaking to all in our community, our society, our human race; while we respect our differences and honor our similarities.
How does your work comment on current political and/or social issues?
Following the murder of George Floyd (and the countless other Black men, women, and children who have fallen victim to police brutality), we are currently in a world where people have had enough and our protesting and demanding justice! My work comments on this issue by encouraging the individual to be bold and have resilience in themselves. For example, Paint Me Purple Yellow Belly is from a series I did about the constant use of the stereotypic Blackface imagery within company products (like Gucci or Prada). The Blackface or Sambo imagery consists on a black face with large red lips. Within my paintings, I substituted the colors used on the face as a way to take control of the situation and cause the oppressor to think about their actions; while using the psychological elements associated with each color. While yellow is a bright and joyful color, it is also associated with cowardice or deceit. Purple is often associated with royalty and nobility. Using these colors in the same fashion as the blackface imagery is my way of saying if you are going to paint me at all, paint me purple you coward because I am of royalty. Don’t Paint Me represents completely wiping away the Blackface imagery as a statement to the oppressor to stop using that image.
The current state of the world with Black Lives Matter is finally at a place where the majority of the public is joining in the fight to stop the violence against black people. My work gives that same message of justice and love for everyone as a human race.
Who has influenced your work the most?
I am inspired by a magnitude of contemporary artists. Some of my favorite artists include; Kehinde Wiley, Jenny Saville, Beverly McIver, Jordan Casteel, Barkley Hendricks, my graduate painting professors at NIU; including Frank Trankina and Nina Rizzo, and my undergraduate painting professor; Michael Dixon.
While those artists have influenced my art making, the person in my life who has been my biggest supporter and encourager is my big sister Brittany. Her honest, yet loving opinions and criticisms help to make my work stronger every day.
What are some current art trends that you follow and that think everyone should be following?
Something that is not new, but I noticed a lot more artists (including myself) incorporating in their art, is the use of current events for conceptual elements. We have currently been faced with coronavirus, police brutality leading to protest and riots, political turmoil, and murder hornets. Another constant in society is black people having the police called on them by white people for small or falsified reasons. My painting Explain or Exit addresses this issue, as it seems that black people must explain why they are in a particular place or exit. They must either exit the building or exit existence because of the risk of what could happen to them once the police arrived.
I love the use of current events within artwork. As time goes on, your art becomes a time stamp for our history. The artwork is the artist’s voice and provides encouragement and enlightenment during times of uncertainty.
