NEW SENSATIONS 2012

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Letitia Kamayi Born in Congo. Lives in: Kingston University for the Creative Arts, Farnha Kinshasa born, I arrived in London at the age of 4. I’ve always had a love for the creative arts and have tried many subjects and mediums including performance, painting, fashion and amongst some. I’d normally describe myself as bubbly, energetic and fun, however I am also a huge research fend and love using different mediums in whatever I do. My practice mostly explores cultural identity of the black Diaspora, as a Congolese artist residing in London. Drawing inspiration and influences from personal experiences of English life with a Congolese tradition.

Artist photo

Work of art I would like to make Demi nues: beauty shades, 2012 was the project I had developed as part of my final major project at university. The series explores the issues of colourism within many ethnic female communities, revealing the unnoticed beauties the shades of skin and textures. Focusing on the back, an untainted surface of skin which is usually unseen, to form an almost tableau image resembling close up landscape photographs, while a wider angle shot discloses its identity. The photographs touch on the many connotations that have arisen from having coloured skin, such as ‘dirty’, ‘burnt’, and ‘smooth’ good and bad, as well as references to colonialist photography [full body shots] and many other embedded meanings in the series. Given the opportunity and means, I would like to continue exploring the desires of bleaching, tanning and restructuring one’s body in the name of beauty, how it ultimately alters one’s identity and is affecting the way women and their younger generations envision themselves. Continuing to use medium format cameras to limit post-production, I would like to create a piece, which is life-size or bigger able to overwhelm the audiences’ views. The work I enjoy and produce are those that force the viewer to question artwork and artist, as well as themselves and what is around them. As an aspiring curator this opportunity will grant my work and myself with the means to produce work life-size art pieces that could hang from ceilings to the floor.

My Artworks (2) Click on the images to enlarge