"Untitled (Woman in Chair)" Rashawn Penister

Rashawn Penister, Pine Bluff, AR
Untitled Woman in Chair, 2023
Acrylic and mixed media on panel
38 x 20”

Through layered imagery, colors, and references, the body of work embodies identities that are not fixed, but fluid and interconnected.

In my pieces, the use of bright colors shows that people are made up of many influences rather than a single origin. The playing cards symbolize how circumstances such as birthplace, culture, and opportunity play a huge role in how they are dealt in people's lives. The pattern background evokes cultural traditions in different spaces that share a common interest in the environment that people are raised in.

My work invites viewers to consider how identity can link different cultures together through a shared meaning.