Ari Brielle, Untitled, 2017, Paper collage, kanekalon hair, panel, 36h x 24w inches
about
Ari Brielle is a visual artist born and based in Dallas, Texas. Her work explores the politicization and vastness of the Black American femme identity and experience. Painting from photographs of herself and femmes in her life, Brielle creates her own visual vocabulary that chronicles Black contemporary experiences.
In 2023 Brielle completed her MFA in Intermedia at the University of Texas at Arlington. In 2017 Ari Brielle was named one of Dallas’ Rising Stars, and her work has been included in group exhibitions across DFW. In 2019 the artist held her second solo exhibition, Safe Place, at the Oak Cliff Cultural Center in Dallas, TX. Two pieces from that body of work have been featured in print publications — one in Bitch Magazine, and one on the cover of Sana Sana, a book of poetry by Ariana Brown. In 2021, Ari Brielle participated in the Texas Biennial, curated by Ryan N. Dennis and Evan Garza. In 2021 the artist’s site-specific installation Poisoned by Zip Code opened at the Dallas Museum of Art. The multimedia installation is a part of the C3 exhibition Rooted, and explores the effects of environmental racism in Dallas, TX through the story of Marsha Jackson and Shingle Mountain.
statement
My practice is an ode to the women who came before me, combining painting, photography, and research to explore Black American femme identity, and examine how the politicization of our bodies affects our experience. Through self-portraiture and installation I am processing my own experience with endometriosis and all that comes with it—losing connection to my body, hopelessness, and healing —while framing it within the broader context of the intersections between Black-Americans, science, and exploitation in the United States.
Materiality and installation are deeply important to my work. I’m interested in how different materials talk to each other within a space, and how the coupling of paint and silk, or sound and object can reveal complex truths.
For more information on collaborations or pricing and availability of specific artworks, please email aribrielleart@gmail.com.