‘I’m not using descriptions of skin colour in the paintings to sum up racial experience or what it is to be in a racialised body,’ Christina Quarles explains. ‘Instead, I’m using this notion of what it is to come up against these multitudes of boundaries and multitudes of edge, and what it is to have to contort and bend your body to fit into the frame.’
Presented at Pilar Corrias’ new flagship Mayfair space, Quarles’ ‘Tripping Over My Joy’ continues the artist’s exploration of the concepts of identity and liminality through her vibrant and striking work. A century on from the publication of W.E.B. Du Bois’ The Souls of Black Folk, Quarles reimagines Du Bois’ notion of 'double consciousness' in her art, exploring the complexities of identity and perspective. Drawing from her own multifaceted experiences, she presents a unique visual perspective that challenges and inverts the idea of 'double consciousness' as she engages with a world marked by ambiguity and multiple layers of identity.
