At the core of my work is the celebration and embracing of one’s racial identity, as well as the unapologetic assertion of worth and beauty of the Black female body. Over It… is a self-portrait that encompasses feelings that many Black women, including myself, harbor towards the pressure to put on an almost performative show of their racial and gender identity, to be “twice as great, or work half as hard, to gain half as much.” Above all, you just want to feel relief, to take off the facade, do away with expectations, relax, and feel the comfort of your own skin that washes over you when in a safe space of seclusion. Using bright colors and playing with lighting, I express both explicitly and vulnerably, Black femininity - something that has been denied and criticized.

Instagram | @jlovely_ware