Julia Roland

Julia Roland (b. 2002 Savannah, GA) is currently a rising visual artist working towards her BFA in painting with a minor in art history in her hometown at the Savannah College of Art and Design. The paintings in her portfolio symbolize the many different layers of African American culture and human identity through the juxtaposition of frontal facing confrontational figures, saturated colors, bold shapes, and loose patterns. These paintings are reflections of her identities intersecting as a black, queer woman. Intersectionality, the driving theme of the work, is the interconnected nature and overlapping of social categorizations as they apply to an individual. 

     Intersectionality, the driving theme of the work, is the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage. A theme that is prevalent in my everyday life. As the work is created, different layers of my identity as a black, queer woman seep through the cracks. My blackness thrives within the rich skin tones of deep saturation, extensive value ranges, and unmatched hair styles. My queerness shines within the bold expressive marks inspired by pride and spunky figural poses. My womanhood simply lies within every visible curved brushstroke and shape, a gentle hand speaking of truth.  
     The face is the focal point of each piece, as I believe it is the window to the core of your soul. Figures in my work often stare out in the world, reflecting hope in their eyes. Some rendered faces directly demand attention to their existence through unbreakable eye contact, offering a form of authentic connection. An exchange of vulnerable glimpses from being to being, attempting to be understood. A mask-like suit covers each figure, revealing only their face, capturing the essence of their being by removing assigned worldly stereotypes and assumptions. Through acknowledgment and confrontation, we can learn to reach an empathetic appreciation of the multifaceted lives around us. 

she/her