Please introduce yourself, tell us a little bit about where in the region you are based, and share some of the major ideas and themes you engage with in your practice.
My name is Shari Phoenix and I live and work in the – currently unbearably hot – island of Barbados. I’m a naturally curious person; I ask a lot of questions, and that is often reflected within my work.
My practice offers an alternate view on ideas of perfection and beauty through the concept of carnivalesque and grotesque realism. These themes appear throughout my ‘Grotesque Eve’ series and my ‘Pin up’ series.
Most of my work is an invitation to challenge societal norms in an attempt to open the eyes of my viewers to alternative solutions or questions. I personally have no intention of offering a definitive solution to any of the issues discussed within my work – I only seek to start conversations that could possibly enable a shift in society’s perceptions. Within the ‘Grotesque Eve’ and ‘Pin up’ series, the feminine figure becomes the focal point as it transforms through the use of costume and masquerade, which according to theories of the carnivalesque, becomes a topsy turvy world of freedom. In this space, costumes are free to become the most natural form of the female body, which is often the most heavily criticised. The costume becomes an over exaggeration of the female form, challenging the unrealistic expectations and pressures placed on women. As a result, the body is liberated through carnival and the costume, but it also serves as an act of defiance, subverting the expectations placed on women to groom and manicure our bodies for the consumption of others.
Were you able to realise your goal of mounting a solo exhibition, and what was that experience like for you / what challenges were faced? Can you also speak about your ongoing interest in the grotesque and the role of caricature related to your investigations into ‘Eve’, accepted notions of beauty, and perfection in the Caribbean context?
I wasn’t able to realise my goal of mounting a solo exhibition as yet. I found that I had no idea where to start, and I quickly got overwhelmed with the whole thing, so in some ways I had to take a step back. Life really got in the way, including dealing with an injury to my dominant arm; however it is still in the works and I refuse to give up. I have been able to receive some consistent therapy sessions for my arm, which has been a great accomplishment, and I am hoping to hop back in the saddle soon.
The idea of ‘caricature’ in my work was a starting point, and it led me to the themes of Mikhail Bakhtin. The thing I took from the caricature in relation to ‘Eve’ was the exaggerated features, which became a major part of the costume to enhance the shock value, stimulating the brain of the viewer into asking questions such as “Why would she (the artist) do that? Why would she make it look like that?” The same thing applies with the grotesque – certain ideas, when they are different from the norm, are immediately described as grotesque, and if something is not perceived as beautiful, it is automatically assigned as the opposite.
My work seeks to occupy that middle space between beautiful and ugly, with ‘Eve’ standing as an archetype to discuss all women, and the truly diverse nuances of beauty. Much like my ‘Pin up’ series, the costume is juxtaposed with images of sexualised ladies, which creates a definite contrast between the pin up girls and the costumes, calling into question the role of women occupy in society.
Needless to say, I love pin up art – I love the style, the shapes, the sensual exaggeration. I am quite fascinated with art history, so there has always been an interest in recreating the iconic pin up style, but I have recontextualised it around my own lived experience. Being from the Caribbean and surrounded by things like Dancehall culture and Crop Over, we see a similar kind of hypersexual image of the female body on posters advertising events. I feel like the juxtaposition of the ‘Eve’ costume with this imagery corrects, for a lack of better words, the unrealistic fantasy it portrays, and renders a more natural appearance by going to extremes in the opposite, “less desirable” direction.
In addition to initiatives like TENDER, what other kinds of support or programming geared towards the needs of contemporary creative practitioners would you like to see implemented in the Caribbean?
To be quite honest, I am not sure. I think any programme geared towards helping artists reach broader audiences regionally or internationally is a plus, and moves in the right direction. As artists, we need more ways to be visible, to be seen and heard within gallery walls and outside of them.
More financial support is always a welcomed resource, as well as more opportunities for collaborations between artists and galleries across the Caribbean. I think initiatives like TENDER are special, as it enables the artist to really focus on making, and possibly helps us out with material acquisitions, framing, documentation – the extremely pricey side of the art business. We also need more grants that can go towards the expenses of everyday life, as things in the Caribbean and worldwide have been becoming increasingly expensive. Anything that ultimately helps artists create is a win.
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