Self Portrait (Self Control)
This piece is a representation of the border between the physical body--rooted in curated behaviors as a way of controlling how the outer world perceives you--and the spiritual body within a Black woman. I made this piece in an intense experience of rage, where my own self control as a peaceful and equanimous person was subverted by the strength of my _inner _experience of disbelief, disappointment, and complete anger. It felt exactly like this: by suppressing the spiritual power of that rage, I only came to learn its insistence on being expressed. The grid in the background represents order and strategy: the way that rationalism has come to dominate our thinking, and the limits it imposes on lived experience. These hands bust through the grid, exemplifying the shapelessness and uncontrollable nature of true spirit.
This piece is a representation of the border between the physical body--rooted in curated behaviors as a way of controlling how the outer world perceives you--and the spiritual body within a Black woman. I made this piece in an intense experience of rage, where my own self control as a peaceful and equanimous person was subverted by the strength of my _inner _experience of disbelief, disappointment, and complete anger. It felt exactly like this: by suppressing the spiritual power of that rage, I only came to learn its insistence on being expressed. The grid in the background represents order and strategy: the way that rationalism has come to dominate our thinking, and the limits it imposes on lived experience. These hands bust through the grid, exemplifying the shapelessness and uncontrollable nature of true spirit.
About The Artist
Artist Alias
Ember Tharpe, Dark Green
"Which of the three cities (Nashville, New York, Chicago) do you identify with the most and why?"
City choice airtable
Artist Bio
Ember Tharpe is a self-taught illustration artist from Jackson, TN who began her practice in the pages of journals to accompany written thoughts. With the support and encouragement of Nashville’s thriving art scene, Ember scaled from small watercolor works to large canvases in three years. She also enjoys reading, and works at a local Nashville library when she’s not painting.