SONAEJAMES

It is unusual to be viewed as a certain race, gender or ethnicity before you are viewed as a person. In my work, I highlight the other side of negative stereotypes. I create photographs, sculptures and ceramic work that targets issues of race, inequality, social injustices. The conversation I am engaging with is embracing black culture and individualities. Universally, each demographic has a shared cultural experience. As a black woman, I focus on specific topics that I’ve personally experienced through intersectionality. I capture moments that are the opposite of what pop culture and social media demonstrates in hopes to show how we as a community actually are and how we are much different then what is typically portrayed of us. African Americans as a community have been visualized photographically through the lens of violence. I focus on cultural moments that illuminate empathy and unity through the African American experience. I'm interested in showing the uncomfortable truths about African American history. I'm focusing on moments that define the black experience as a whole whether it's the history of slavery or black joy. My work starts and continues to influence having the hard conversation people are generally afraid to have.