"As an artist, writer, high school teacher, and activist, I look for opportunities to educate people through a variety of methods. I am an advocate for diversity in the arts, the classroom, and the media. I was raised during an era when South Africa still had the shackles of apartheid tied to its feet; supported and paid for by American dollars. Even as a young student, I learned firsthand how to organize, educate, and disseminate information about Apartheid and other issues of concern. By watching and working with TransAfrica, I learned how protests, film festivals, and fundraisers could rally support and influence public opinion. In the 1980’s, constant and accurate media coverage and the challenge of organizing people in support of sanctions against Apartheid helped to open the prison doors of Nelson Mandela and hundreds of other freedom fighters imprisoned on Robin Island. So what does this have to do with me as an artist and creator of Sweetroot?
Almost twenty years later, the lessons learned about local and national politics have served me well as an artist. My work incorporates prose, wood, resin, found objects, and other materials to tell stories. My first collection entitled, "The Memoir Series," included 14 paintings ranging from 20”x20” to 20”x 60” in size. This collection chronicles my life as a child growing up inside the household of an activist.
My latest work explores the world of myth, magic, and the overlapping worlds of religion and the unseen world. The unseen world, that seems fused to my dreams, blooms in my waking life in the form of mixed media paintings, talisman, and objects."
Anike Robinson is a supporter of Making HerStory and is a 2011 participant.
No comments:
Post a Comment