Instagram @Kione_G

 

Kione’s work explores black beauty industry and focuses on ‘hair’ as a signifier of culture, a political element of black female identity. After noticing a lack of ‘mixed-race’ perspectives on the subject combined with her own experience inhabiting a ‘liminal’ space in between two or many races, and questioning the need to fit into clearly defined racial categories. Hair acts as a visual language for me to weave together these ideas about racial identity.

Kione works with collage and mixed media and through this cutting up and pasting together of elements

 

 Traditional West African barber shop paintings have also had a large influence. These simplified rudimentary portraits are painted onto reclaimed wood and depict stylised figures wearing various titled hairstyles. I have been thinking about ways that artwork could become one.

 

Alongside my art practise I am a nail artist, and also hand paint and sell clothing (wearable art) both of which I feel sit very closely to my studio Fine Art practise.

 

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