Q&A with Artist Soleé Darrell
Soleé Darrell is a Bermudian born multidisciplinary artist who is based in Oakland, CA. We share Soleé’s belief that art can bridge connections to understanding. We are grateful to partner with Soleé as a visible beacon of freedom and expression, embodied in a powerful Black woman.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Name: Soleé Darrell
Location: Oakland
Website: soleedarrell.art
Instagram: @soleedarrell
Recently Read Favorite Book: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
“Rise Up Against Racism works to build communities and unite people through education and transparency. All of the ideals that I hope to incorporate into my art. Growing up a Black girl in predominantly white spaces, I wish that projects like this existed to educate the communities I was in.”
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your background and how you got started as an artist?
I’ve been an artist my whole life. I have a background in Metalsmith arts and for a while I was making jewelry. As much as I loved it, I was being called to step away from the practice for my mental health and that's when I tried painting. I fell in love with this form of expression and have been painting everyday for the past couple of years.
Q: How do you approach the connection between art and activism?
My art is an outward manifestation of all of my experiences and emotions. I am a black, immigrant woman living and making art in America. My existence alone is activism. I try and use my joy and expansion in a world not built for me as the ultimate form of activism. I also find that Art tends to heal all wounds and bridge connections to understanding. My main goal is to be a visible beacon of freedom and expression, embodied in a powerful black woman.
Q: Where do you find inspiration?
I am super inspired by meditation, self exploration and the unknown.
Q: What was your process with this project? What were you inspired by?
This project was based on my meditation series of works in which I created small visual moments of stillness after meditation. I wanted this project to be bright and cheery but modern and bold. The color selection was my first step and I am in love with how the color combos came out.
Q: What do you hope the viewer will feel/think about when engaging with your work?
I was very mindful that this library would be in a community and would be interacted with on a daily basis. So it was important to me that the viewer felt excited yet at peace in hopes that those feelings would continue when picking their book. Reading is a huge form of meditation for me and my hope is that others find that moment of stillness in my work and their reading.
