www.laurelrichardson.com
Artist BioLaurel Richardson is an interdisciplinary artist based in NYC working with family lineage, collective histories and cultural memory.
![](https://amt.parsons.edu/finearts/files/2020/05/Richardson_See-Me_2019.jpg)
See Me, 2019
Oil and Dye on Canvas
50" × 60"
![](https://amt.parsons.edu/finearts/files/2020/05/Richardson_Confession_2019.jpg)
Confession, 2019
Dye on Canvas
18" × 48" × 54"
![](https://amt.parsons.edu/finearts/files/2020/05/Richardson_Untitled_2019.jpg)
Untitled, 2019
Acrylic and Dye on Canvas, Sewing Pins
50" × 50"
![](https://amt.parsons.edu/finearts/files/2020/05/Richardson_Heart-of-Light_2019.jpg)
Heart of Light, 2019
Dye and Acrylic on Canvas, Sewing Pins
82" × 35"
![](https://amt.parsons.edu/finearts/files/2020/05/Richardson_Follow-Mother_2019.jpg)
Follow Mother, 2019
Oil, Acrylic,Dye and Clorox on Canvas; Metal Brass, Patina, Copper & Brass Paint
91" × 86"
![](https://amt.parsons.edu/finearts/files/2020/05/Richardson_Untitled_2020.jpg)
Untitled, 2020
Handmade Batik
36' × 3'
Made while visiting the MFA Textile program at KNUST University, Kumasi, Ghana
![](https://amt.parsons.edu/finearts/files/2020/05/Richardson_Returning-Assin-Manso-to-Cape-Coast-Film-Still_2019.jpg)
Returning Assin Manso to Cape Coast, 2019-2020
Film Still and Film Clip
![](https://amt.parsons.edu/finearts/files/2020/05/Richardson_Materials-photo_2020.jpg)
Materials Photo, 2020
Fabrics and Notes
![](https://amt.parsons.edu/finearts/files/2021/09/Screen-Shot-2021-09-19-at-2.03.03-PM.png)
We Who Fight Before Cannons, ode to Yaa Asantewaa, 2021 Dye, Acrylic, and wax on Canvas
![](https://amt.parsons.edu/finearts/files/2020/05/Richardson_Adowa-dance_2019.jpg)
Research Photo, 2019
Adowa Dance
Artist Statement
In my work the past meets the present. I am charting my personal history in relation to the history of the African Diaspora, while also questioning the current and historical representation of black women. I do this by reconnecting lost and unknown connections while reflecting on ideas of emergence, revelation, honor, reverence, power, presence, and resilience.
Living in a world of lost, found and crossed connections, I wonder what points connect us. Where there are borders and closed doors to shared understanding, what devices serve as tools for access?
I interrogate these questions through a path of regenerative storytelling as I sift through inherently political subjects of ancestry, family lineage, migration, cultural memory and identity.
Through painting, installation and elements of performance, I produce an interwoven surface of ideas and histories. Using dye, acrylic washes and oil paint, my work loosely references African American quilting, Asante Kente weaving patterns, and Ghanaian batik. I look for ways in which the use of fabric within West African garments is reflected throughout diasporic cultural practices.