Florine Demosthene: The Stories I Tell Myself, 2018
About:
Florine Demosthene was born in the United States and raised between Port-au-Prince, Haiti and New York; she has spent the past four years living and working across Africa. Exploring themes surrounding race and gender, the artist uses her own identity to re-evaluate the socio-political structures and conditions that surround black female sexuality and physicality today.
Using a combination of figurative and abstract mark making, Demosthene constructs alternative landscapes to present the heroines of her practice, and to re-examine her own sense of self. The artist explains:
“For me, my art has been a peeling away of layers of preconceived ideas; much in the way a snake sheds its skin, this slow shedding process can be viewed as a continual rebirth of my identity.”
About the exhibition:
The Stories I Tell Myself sees Demosthene transform the uniformed gallery space into a personalised setting. Maroon coloured walls, resembling a boudoir, make the public space private, creating both a sense of intimacy and intrusion. Small scale works with highly decorated, ornate frames invite the viewer to interact more closely with the work. Using a combination of figurative and abstract mark making, Demosthene constructs alternative landscapes to present the heroines of her practice. (text Galerie 1957, Accra)