Bio

Kwanzaa Edwards is a painter and illustrator, who currently lives and works in San Antonio, Texas. They earned their BFA in painting from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. Originally from Port Arthur Texas, art has always been an integral part of their life. Their work takes inspiration from American cartoons, anime, pop surrealism and combines that appreciation with their love and knowledge of Renaissance masters and Art Nouveau.

Artist Statement

My work depicts the black female form and always revolves around two forces: A woman and a world. My characters are based on people I know in my life and people I sometimes make up in my mind. These women exist as a way to analyze my mental state as well as the world around me. They express the experience of existing at the intersections of a Black American and a female, with my personal quirks and interests thrown in. These are subjects in which I feel are underrepresented in contemporary art which is why I choose to express them in my art. My work celebrates existence with otherworldly realms and aesthetics that defy the constraints of logic. Their respective universes are where they exist unapologetically. In my paintings, the women shown are in a safe space in which they comfortably put on display for the audience to observe.