Blackbird Fly is an exploration into how artist Antoinette Cauley’s relocation from Phoenix, Arizona (U.S.A.) to Berlin, Germany during the Covid-19 pandemic has influenced and reshaped her views on systemic racism, her home country, and her overall identity as a biracial Black woman. Created during the course of two years, this series delves into childhood trauma and psychological triggers relating to abandonment, survival and hyper independence in youth and their connection to time and place.
Phoenix, Arizona (U.S.A.) native Antoinette Cauley's work is very reflective of her home city- the gritty and the beautiful. Her work is heavily influenced by rap music and Black American hood culture with an overall focus on women empowerment. Visually, she combines the grittiness of rap music with the beauty of vibrant color and deep, emotionally driven messages. Cauley attended Mesa Community College where she studied Fine Art with an emphasis in painting. During this time she held a two year apprenticeship with nationally renowned oil painter Chris Saper who taught her the ins and outs of the fine art industry.
"As a biracial Black American woman from a marginalized community, my work looks to directly confront and question the normative racial narratives that have been historically presented within art establishments and institutions. By emphasizing the beauty in the many complexities of Black American Hood culture and Black hood feminism, I look to portray the depth and resilience of a demographic whose complete essence is consistently robbed for profit while their own bodies and stories are carelessly cast aside." says Antoinette Cauley.
The exhibition will be on show at BIKINI BERLIN from 7 to 27 January 2022
BIKINI BERLIN, Galerie SLP at 1st floor, Budapester Str. 38-50, 10787 Berlin, S-/U-Bahnhof Zoologischer Garten
Vernissage including live DJs and refreshments on Friday, 7 January 2022, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. (2G+)
then daily except Sundays from 11:00 am to 07:00 p.m.
Admission is free.
