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Jillian Thompson (b. Detroit, MI) is a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores the contemporary Black women's experience through a diverse range of materials. Using metalwork, silkscreen, fibers, photo collage, and found objects, she examines narratives of culture and self-expression through both wearable pieces and imagery. Her work has been exhibited at Emerge Gallery, MCLA Gallery 51, Angels Gate Cultural Center and the Alt Summit Conference in Palm Springs. Thompson earned her Master of Fine Arts in Jewelry & Metalsmithing from California State University Long Beach and currently teaches at California State University Long Beach and Long Beach City College. |
Statement
My work explores themes of Black girlhood through personal memories and cultural imagery. I recall moments in my mother’s bathroom, attempting hairstyles from hair magazines. As young girls, we recorded music videos on VHS tapes, rewinding and pausing to study the fashion before scouring the mall for similar pieces. These experiences shaped my understanding of Black girlhood and continue to shape my experiences as an adult.
The images I incorporate into my work, sourced from Instagram and Twitter, directly reference those formative moments. Some highlight contemporary Black "it girls," while others capture aesthetics from the early and late 2000s. These visuals intertwine with my exploration of how Black women’s appearance, language, and style are often dismissed only to be later appropriated and “reinvented” by non-Black women.
Through metalwork, fibers, silkscreen, photo collage, and found objects, I explore the layered experiences of contemporary Black womanhood. I create wearable pieces and visual narratives that reflect culture, memory, and self-expression. By merging materials, I construct a dialogue between nostalgia, identity, and the aesthetics of Black girlhood honoring both personal and collective histories while imagining new forms of self-expression.
The images I incorporate into my work, sourced from Instagram and Twitter, directly reference those formative moments. Some highlight contemporary Black "it girls," while others capture aesthetics from the early and late 2000s. These visuals intertwine with my exploration of how Black women’s appearance, language, and style are often dismissed only to be later appropriated and “reinvented” by non-Black women.
Through metalwork, fibers, silkscreen, photo collage, and found objects, I explore the layered experiences of contemporary Black womanhood. I create wearable pieces and visual narratives that reflect culture, memory, and self-expression. By merging materials, I construct a dialogue between nostalgia, identity, and the aesthetics of Black girlhood honoring both personal and collective histories while imagining new forms of self-expression.