Art News
Meet the Others: Andrea Coleman
The Game Changers. The Rule Breakers. The Innovators. Discover some of the fantastic emerging talent showcasing their work at The Other Art Fair.
Chicago based artist Andrea Coleman’s work could be described as contemporary nostalgia. Coleman’s digital paintings derive inspiration from representational photographic family memorabilia, clippings and videos. Combined with expressive mark-making and coloration, each piece addresses elements of nostalgia and a distorted form of memory. Her work challenges the very idea of memory, its authenticity and reliability through the combination of the real and the imagined. The work investigates the intuitive interconnectedness and multidimensional relationship between snapshot and portraiture. The work is both intimate and joyous, we asked Andrea a few questions about her current practice to learn more.
The Electric Touch of The Mossey Evergreens, Andrea Coleman
What are the key themes that you explore in your work?
My work is the attempt. The attempt to unify, initiate and diversify a basic human experience that echoes the voices of our ancestors that makes us universal in our connection and vulnerability, regardless of race, gender or religion. From the simple act of flipping through old photo albums to recalling past events, I hope the work gives a platform to a type of familiarity that provokes an understanding that can only be absorbed emotionally.
What are you working on at the moment?
Currently, I am continuing my digital collage work, as well as working on a new video series called Intimate Sphere. This piece is located in a hospital, where the viewer explores the mundane, yet morbid setting of the interior of a patient’s room in the perspective of the “get well” flower. Static in one position, two encounters are occurring at the same time. The patient is discussing the financial situation of the insurance in juxtaposition to the slightly out of view encounter of the nurse conversation with one of the visitors. The work explores empathy and intimacy.
What are some of the best things about art in Chicago/ being an artist in Chicago?
To answer your question in one word, the best part about art in Chicago and being an artist in Chicago is the community that you develop along the way. As a black woman artist, the friendships and connections, especially with those that appreciate the value of the black experience. I have cherished the collaborations and moments of magic created in these spaces of community and love.
Physiognomy, Andrea Coleman
Your work is featured in The Other Art Fair X AMFM collection. How did you start working with AMFM/ Ciera?
I actually started working with Ciera at last year’s edition of The Other Art Fair Chicago. I look forward to continuing to work with AMFM in the future!
What are you inspired by at the moment?
During the pandemic, it has been difficult to stay focused and consistent in my art practice, but I have gained inspiration from the nourishing time with my family, the various zoom sessions with my friends, and the mental development of my own self-care. The intimacy and love shown throughout this experience have fueled my inspiration to no end.
Shop artwork by Andrea and other trailblazing artists at The Other Art Fair’s Online Studios.
Introducing The Other Art Fair Online Studios, a new online platform offering art lovers around the world access to over 800 Fair artists. The Online Studios will keep our community feeling inspired, engaged, and continue to spread joy through art.
