Self-Portraiture in the Age of Abstraction
with Sharon Norwood / March 2022
About the Studio Session
The visual language of abstraction has the power to transform a complex experience into the simplest of forms. The multifaceted person can be distilled into a singular object that has no overt reference to the human figure. With such a reductive approach, how does material adequately communicate the depth of our unique identities? How can a personal narrative be conceptually presented? This Studio Session explores which parts of ourselves and our histories are suppressed or amplified when we translate the human condition.
About the Lead Artist
Sharon Norwood is a conceptual artist whose work spans several media to include painting and ceramic. Norwood received a BFA in Painting from the University of South Florida and an MFA in studio Art from Florida State University. Born in Jamaica, Sharon grew up in the diverse Toronto landscape. Her exhibition record includes solo exhibitions, group collaborations, and site-specific installations. Her work has been showcased in several international Biennials including the Jamaica, Atlanta and Florida Biennial. She has participated in several residencies including the Vermont Studio Center (VSC), PILOTENKUECHE, Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts and VCCA (Virginia Center for the Creative Arts) where she received the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Fellowship. In 2019 Norwood became a Joan Mitchell foundation grant nominee.