Ariel Dannielle 2019/2020 MOCA GA Working Artist
Channel: Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia
Date: 10/12/2020

Artist Talk (pre-taped and shown via Zoom) for MOCA GA held on December 8, 2020 in conjunction with the 2019/2020 MOCA GA Working Artist Project. Ariel Dannielle, 2019/20 WAP fellow created work for her solo exhibition entitled: It Started so Simple.
Exhibition dates: November 21, 2020 - January 16, 2021

Ariel Dannielle’s show focuses on the idea of “thriving and not just surviving” as an African American woman. Her joy is an act of resistance towards racism. Ariel uses her life as inspiration to tell her personal story of blackness. With fewer representations of black figures in historical records she continues to work towards changing that with her portraits of the modern life of a black woman in America.

“Representation matters to me. It informs the work I create. I paint with the hope that my viewers not only feel empowered and inspired, but also seen and understood.  My work is a visual journal. Each painting is record of my personal experiences, observations, and feelings. This acrylic archive has enabled me to explore aspects of human frailty and vulnerability, racial and ethnic identity, gender, sexuality, and feminism.

I aim to show my experiences in a way of thriving not just surviving. Though seeing the history of my culture is important I do not want to be defined by trauma, our joy should be highlighted to. I believe there is still room for more exploration for black figures in art when it comes to representation. It is my hope that my depiction of simple everyday experiences provides new understandings of Black womanhood and causes new connections to be made.”

–Ariel Dannielle