In light of Black History Month, I would love to share how Calgary artist, Simone Saunders, has empowered Black women through her beautiful and deeply-meaningful textile portraits.
Simone Elizabeth Saunders is a talented artist and performer who focuses on Black identity and belonging. She grew up with a strong passion for theatre, engaging in one of the earliest afrocentric theatre companies in western Canada called Ellipsis Tree Collective. From theatre, Saunders found a deep love for visual arts that blossomed into her creation of textile art that celebrates Black identity. Theatre also inspired Saunders to create art in the form of story telling – a central idea that pushes her to create portraits that spark deep emotions for viewers.
Simone Saunders’ focus on empowering Black identity started from her observation that colour-blind casting was not very prevalent in the theatre scene. She felt a desire to strengthen the Black community, starting by first exploring her own identity. Today, Saunders uses powerful motifs, symbols, and story images from her Jamaican heritage to create large scale textile portraits of mostly Black women.
Simone Elizabeth Saunders, Lady Justice, 2021. (Source: Contemporary Calgary)
Simone Elizabeth Saunders, Internal Reflections, 2022. (Source: Simone’s Hand-Punched Textiles)
Another element that can be seen in Simone’s work is the mix of the past, present, and future. Simone feels that Black history has long lasting effects that create this intertwining of the past, present, and future for Black individuals and society in general. She represents this idea through her literal action of intertwining the threads when she’s tufting to create the textile portraits.
A central theme of Saunders’ work is Black womanhood – many of her portraits focus on the beauty of the Black female body and the strength that these women embody. Saunders starts most textile portraits with the eyes, often making the figure’s eyes focus directly on the viewer. The direct eye contact is used to symbolize that Black woman are strong and not “diminutive or demure.” Many admirers of Saunders work note that the strong eye contact of her female figures seems to invite the viewer in while also commanding the space in a powerful manner.
Simone Elizabeth Saunders, Four Queens, 2020 (Source: Contemporary Calgary)
Simone’s work has truly made a deep impact on not only the Black community but society as a whole. Her textile portraits highlight the strength of Black individuals and their connection to history. Simone is making a lasting impact in celebrating Black history and identity!
Featured Image (Simone Elizabeth Saunders, Affirmations of Day, 2022), Source1/Source2
