Alexandria Smith

Chronicling the experience of being an African American middle-class girl in present day society is the point of focus of my artwork. The desire and longing to belong is echoed in the portraits of these young preadolescent girls. Working through the discipline of drawing and painting, I have created works that explore the theme of cultural and sexual identity through the lens of childhood and adolescence. The lens of childhood is portrayed in a twisted yet intriguing way and simultaneously confronts the viewer with horror and humor. These emotive, visually alluring pictures depict scenes of young girls engaging in play that borders between sexual experimentation and innocence. By honing on the right moment and the in-betweens, there is just enough information to create a narrative and engagement with the viewer. This level of engagement is utilized to great effect but also aims to push a psychological agenda. The interactions of these girls within a middle class suburban home investigate the origins and manifestations of race and social taboo through an adolescent lens.
Large scale Conte crayon and small pen and ink drawings are also included in this body of work. The subject of these drawings is the loosely autobiographic...

Parsons, New York, US,