CORRESPONDENCE - THE ALIGNMENT OF THE ART WITH THE ARTIST

While some artists have done what they’ve deemed neccesary for their comission and exposure structure, the most innocent art remains unseen in sketchbooks or on the walls of its creator. Zola Rae shares the process of her art, what it means to her, and how she hopes it impacts others among presentation.

Art by an alternative, plus-size, queer Black Woman is a very special lense to be able to look through. Art is often interpreted through the lens of the creator’s identity, as though visible markers of marginalization automatically assign deeper value to the work.  Meaning if the artist has a media driven marginalized feature, it automatically ads value. Nonetheless, Black women visual artists often still get the short end of the stick. Based on the turnout of the recent Presidential election, it is not common to purse the understanding of queer women of color. Thankfully, Artists like Zola are sharing their perspective despite the state of the world.

“I started making art from a very early age becasue I would see my older sibling, Z draw such cool comics. I never wanted to make my art like theirs, but i wanted to be able to make people, and make expressions. I always thought that was cool, it just moved me in a way. My self expression is very bold, in your face, dramatic, and vibrant. I love my art to embody that through and through. You’ll see a lot of my pieces are very colorful, dramatic, and obviously very very Black. I’d say both of these paintings were made in 2024 within a couple of weeks of each other. The pink bodacious mama (previous page) is Goggles and every time I see that piece I think of the song On Earth by The Sundays. The yellow bastard on the other side (pictured below) is Rocko. Rocko is icky. He’s like a brain fart, that’s how I’d describe him, but I love it.

What inspires me as a queer black artist? Honestly, Black people.. Queer people. Fat people. Alternative folks... like, that is the heart of my inspiration, because essentially that is me. I just draw whatever my heart tells me to honestly, and I know that might sound so cliche to most, but no,  I’m being so serious.Whatever I feel, whatever I think, whatever I’m going through, its best if I just transmute it and put it on a canvas.