Artist Statement or Bio
Born and raised in Hickory, N.C., Tyi Chaplin is a first-generation student and Bachelor of Arts candidate with a focus in printmaking. In my studio practice, I center current trends originated by black women as a way of highlighting cultural appropriation. As a black woman and a member of GenZ, my work embraces and celebrates these trends, and simultaneously reflects my own experiences of microaggressions and appropriation. I also use symbols and markers from Afrofuturism, graffiti, and music to touch on my experiences with black culture. By reclaiming these trends, I hope to move away from the “angry BW stereotype.” My practice consists of creating collage-like monotypes in large groups, which are then installed to fit the space. Within each print, I carefully layer linocut prints, hand-carved stamps, drawings, and other media. The inherent resistance to guidelines and restrictions in graffiti is important to my work so I add layers of spray paint, tagging, paint markers, and stickers. From these elements, I create various patterns, textures, and symbols that utilize repetition to reflect and represent my experiences of Black culture. My use of repetition derives from music, which is a large part of my art practice, and also from repeated graffiti images or symbols. For example, some graffiti artists utilize symbols such as arrows to accentuate their work and tags that the artist can use to repeat their name or alias. My repetition of these ideas alludes to the popularization of graffiti within mainstream fashion and music. The repeatable nature of printmaking allows me to use music and graffiti in specific ways. During my educational career, I have spent my time in predominantly white institutions where I faced instances of microaggressions. For me, this varied from being singled out as one of the only black students within the classroom space, to comments made by my peers that were directed at my appearance – specifically my protective styles (braids, crochet braids, extensions). When I became older, I noticed these hairstyles being used by non-black folk and becoming trends where the supposed ownership has been taken from the black community. These items that I grew up wearing or being around, such as box braids, locs, and various other styles have even been claimed to belong to Vikings… but that’s a topic for another day. I’ve grown to simply have to tolerate these issues. These experiences not only have shaped how I have to function within society but also how I am viewed as an artist. As a black artist, I’ve grown to reclaim my skills, the confidence within myself, and the ways my art is perceived. Through this framework, I strive to place elements of black culture into spaces where it is not often seen or desired. My work embraces my experiences of black culture and black women.

• 1.25″ (3.18 cm) thick poly-cotton blend canvas
• Canvas fabric weight: 10.15 +/- 0.74 oz./yd.² (344 g/m² +/- 25g/m²)
• Fade-resistant
• Hand-stretched over solid wood stretcher bars
• Mounting brackets included
• Blank product sourced from the US, Canada, Europe, UK, or Australia

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