MONĀE

ALT Born in ocean depths but raised in a metropolis, Saffronia Laveau, blurs the line between mystical and the physical. Her face; painted with a childishly expressed garden of greens, reds, and purples as if a canvas of natural and synthetic detritus. She doesn't eat like others; instead consuming the city lights. Ethereal green shards pulse in her mouth, evidence of illumination satiating her crunch. In this pink cocoon, she is both shielded from and connected to the world. Nature fused with human creation; beyond the physical, drifting like coral but standing firm between the ancient and modern.

ALT This is a mixed-media artwork created to explore vibrant colors and intricate textures. The backdrop: crafted from mixed media materials and acrylic paint. The face: rendered with layers of papier-mâché, acrylic paint and makeup. Inviting the Blur; reality and imagination. Exploration of layered textures and vibrant hues. Signifying the fusion of naturalistic and digital; the cultural shift towards integrating diverse artistic practices to create deeply engaging visual experiences.

ALT The major purpose of this style of makeup I’ve created, is to challenge expectation and expression. As a young creator, I was disheartened when my work was stolen and used on people considered more beautiful. Most notably, in 2022, my signature aposematic makeup style was blatantly stolen, by a follower, and used on Amala Dlamini for her fashion week appearance. The makeup artist (white male-appearing person) mutilated the soul of the intended purpose. This experience made me uncomfortable to create portraits for almost a year. When I began creating again, I started from a new place; painting with my eyes closed (literally) allowing my spirit to flow. Confronting fears of beauty and ugliness. Conquering my craft; transcending drag, fashion, makeup and queer culture. This is a reclamation; taunting the fashion and beauty industries. A reminder to them; that no one can do Me like Monāe.

ALT a serene face in a tempting sea; the face of a woman floating to the surface or taking her final breath? she seemingly finds peace in either outcome. a conversation on survival; a woman who became drunken by her desire to thrive. in the face of fear; she makes it remember hers.

ALT October Ninth, celebrated makeup artist, awoke from a seventeen month coma having lost all memory of cosmetics. She asked, “Why do women wear makeup?” The nurse, bare-faced and perplexed, replied, “To express how they feel, to accentuate their eyes and lips, and get attention.” She began doing her makeup for her Awakening Party at Vlarissa’s Wallpaper Emporium; painting herself as she felt and accentuating her features. Upon arrival, she crawled down the busy street on all three limbs and entered the building from the rear. October, remembering the last key to makeup, burst her face through a sample of August Florentino’s lavender wallpaper with very realistic orange and black flowers. She slammed through the doors of the party and smiled, allowing her silver teeth to glow. The vibrance of the room crashed into eerie silence, somehow muffling the sound of three children who began to cry from discomfort. October cocked her lip in confidence and exclaimed, “Man, I feel like a woman.”

ALT Computer Assisted Electro Music, Oratory & Neo-expressionist Artistic Engineering (C.A.E.M.O.N.A.E.)

ALT Within the soliloquy of moonlight, a woman's face emerges, concealed by crackling papier-mâché. Around her head lie remnants of plastic packaging and wilted flowers. The plastic, seemingly symbolizes artificiality, perhaps denoting the societal pressures and conveniences of ignorance. Once vibrant and full of life, the wilted flowers now serve as a poignant memory of lost vitality, reflecting the woman's fragile grip to life and beauty. Whispers of Frankenstein’s Monster; a story of finding companionship in your creations and delicately defying explanation through a symphony of expression.

ALT In the embrace of mangled window blinds; a face emerges, painted in delusion and veiled in the decaying grip of makeup, imprisoned behind the lattice of suburban mediocrity. Her eyes; unwashed windows to a soul yearning for understanding. Her mouth; a salivating velvet pussy. Plastic; enveloping her face telling a story of suffocation and preservation. The intersection of beauty and confinement intertwine, echoing the struggle of trans women navigating the labyrinth of suburbia. The blurred lines between reality and illusion mirror her journey, a delicate dance between conformity and authenticity. In the soft glow of a vanity; she finds strength in vulnerability, beauty in imperfection, and courage in the act of simply existing. Although the blinds may obscure her view, her spirit remains resolute, a beacon of resilience in a world often blinded by darkness.

ALT An expressionist portrait and collage of a woman surrounded by condoms, lubricant, and other items alluding to sexual health, nightlife, and sexuality. A deeper look suggests ideas of the fetishization and disposable nature in which trans women of color are treated in American society. The artist suggests ideas surrounding the fear of STIs, stigmas associated with queer people, and sex work. The artist expresses her own fears and desires in the portrait, allowing the viewer to join in 'Her Pleasure'.

ALT A neo-expressionist portrait of a woman’s face protrudes from distressed cardboard lacquered with soft green and pink paint. Her face is tightly wrapped with painted clear tape, indicating confinement and defiance. She is surrounded by crushed dried rose petals and spray-painted digital cutouts. Three pizza slices and a green highlighter point toward her face. The creator explores imagination while suggesting commentary on society's relationship with identity; transforming the mundane into the extraordinary.