Sharidyn Barnes M.F.A. thesis exhibition: 'Unseen, Unloved & Unheard'

In her thesis exhibition Unseen, Unloved & Unheard, Sharidyn Barnes (M.F.A. painting) navigates complex ideas of identity and race through a series of portraits of her SCAD contemporaries. Placing the depiction of Black stories at the forefront of her practice, Barnes draws from the visual language of hip-hop and popular culture while using a European style of painting and representation to investigate Western ideas of beauty and challenge notions of the white gaze. Fearless, uncompromising, and unapologetically themselves, Barnes’ subjects display a range of emotions, emphasizing their humanity. The artist engages in purposeful mark-making, giving agency to the individual while bringing visibility to broader issues of systemic racism.