Artist Statement
Timelines. Layers. Choices. Questions. To Live. Or to truly live?
I've always been fascinated with timelines and understanding the connection between people, places, and events. There's always another element, another perspective. Artistically, my life's timeline looks like a smattering of layers and invites me to zoom in and out. Time is expansive, nonlinear, inviting us to engage or not. I'm interested in examining the overlap of timelines within my community and how they interact with personal narratives.
Inspiration comes from all the energy around me—the winds, laughter, sweet moments with my neighbors, the outlines of clouds as they move across the sky. I love following the curvy line that mirrors that of trees. Just how far can my eyes trace?
I'm an artist who shows multilayers through a mixture of mediums—broadcasting the nerve endings of feelings and emotions. I smash colors and textures, letting the mediums talk. Art is a full-body experience for me. Each piece I create is unique, with themes of drips, squiggles, bright, bold colors dancing with the layers of finger blends of paints. I can't forget about the display of a nonsensical universal script-- a language of the winds. My art looks like recycling memories, reusing "old" items like cardboard, working on pieces over long periods, adding layers to pieces that hadn't sold, making something new like Jakes started in 2019 completed in 2021. One of my favorite questions to ponder "what does it look like to exist with multiple truths at once?"
Internally, my mind spins with thoughts, ideas, anxiety, and feelings about my feels. My art process gives my body a physical expression to explore, release and breathe more deeply.
I create art for myself.
I create to live.
I create possibilities.
To create multiple versions of life makes opportunities to be freer.
Be more me.
photo by Hli Moua| Franconia Sculpture Park | April 2018
Creator.
Visionary.
A Walking Think Tank.
Visual + Performance Art.
Leadership + Program Developer.
Dancer.
Activator.
Public Speaker.
Group Facilitator.
In Mental Health Recovery.
Cancer Sun | Capricorn Moon | Libra Rising.
An Auntie to many.
Authentically Human. Artist . Organizer . Consultant.
photo by me | Springboard for the Arts | St. Paul | 2019
The photo shows me on break from using my body as a paintbrush. Pouring acrylic paint on my body, I danced to the music along with pushups sprawling on two 72 x 72 canvases on the concrete garage floor of the not yet opened Springboard for the Arts.
(PH)ull Circle
The questions I ask myself frequently are, "What would it be like to have my art touchable? Wearable?" 9 of 10 viewers want to reach out and have a tactile experience. To know the pieces of art on a more intimate level. I'd love to grow in my understanding of different ways to make interactive art that meets folks' sensory curiosity.
PHull Bodied Covered
2019
acrylic on canvas
My first job ever was as a youth organizer working on anti-sweatshop campaigns. I'd love to come full circle and turn my art into textiles that will be made into sustainable clothes. Ideally, I'd work with local artists of color to help design the garments. In response to climate change and how to be a better steward of resources, I'd like to move to wear higher-quality clothes and create a product that also meets the needs of other climate-conscious individuals. ll the difference.
MPLS Icehouse | Aug 6, 2019
Artist Residency Opening
The day I got this awesome hat!
Ti(ph)anie Copeland of (PH)ull Bodied Art fills a canvas with her "energy art" at the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration at the Ordway Center in St. Paul on Monday, Jan. 20, 2020. (Scott Takushi / Pioneer Press)
Dance*Werking | 2017
