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My work navigates Black identity by exploring themes such as afro-pessimism and examining the ongoing impact of colonialism. Utilising narrative to shed light on the Black experience,I investigate how societal structures shape perceptions of Blackness. I aim for the viewer to search for meaning, through symbols and loaded imagery, enabling interrogation and connection. Inspired by theorists like Frantz Fanon and bell hooks, I confront preconceived notions with empathy and sensitivity, challenging the socially ingrained association of 'Black' with 'wrong'. My multimedia work builds upon the same thematic foundations, investigating further into memory, grief and the relationship with identity.

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Artist Biography

Selena Scott is a Cambridge-based artist whose work redefines the portrayal of Black people through a variety of mediums, including oil painting, film, textiles, and animation. Through her oil portraits, she challenges historical narratives by centring Black identity. Grounded in extensive research involving historical archives and spoken stories, she explores themes of trauma, racism, and colonialism, rooted in her Caribbean heritage.
Selena illustrated the graphic novel ‘Billy Waters: Songs from the Shadows’, which follows the story of an amputee Black street performer from the 1800s for secondary school history classes. She is also the author and illustrator of the Cambridge Black History Colouring Book, a project created with the Fitzwilliam Museum aimed at educating and celebrating Black history.

Most recent exhibitions include Life Within Landscapes, Wolfson College; What I Thought I Knew, Bernie Grants Arts Centre; Black Atlantic, Fitzwilliam Museum; It's The Debt That You Owe, Peckham Levels; AOAP x War Child, Soho Revue.

Click on the images below to read about the context of each artwork

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©2021 by Selena Scott.

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