Led by NYC-based artists jazsalyn, Shameekia Shantel Johnson and Yvonne Mpwo, the digital art and research collective black beyond is cultivating a community of Black femmes in the art and design world. Their most recent virtual exhibition, _origins, showcases 12 Black digital artists who wield dystopian aesthetics, critical race theory and technology to reimagine the future of Black femmes and powerfully take up space in the art world. “_origins emerged during a time where I was confronting erasure in the digital art scene,” says jazsalyn. “Instead of succumbing to that erasure, I collected what strength I had left to culminate in a community of Black femmes to defy that erasure, to amplify our existence. This exhibition really serves as an ode to Black femmes, women, gender non-conforming individuals and beyond.” Having collaborated with The Heaux History Project, Yves B Golden and other artists with plans for a future exhibition already underway, the 2019-founded collective is quickly fortifying and empowering Black femme digital artists. Read more about them at It’s Nice That.
Image courtesy of Elizabeth Mputu, black beyond