Alexandria Smith - Wayward Delight

Alexandria Smith

Chronicling the experience of being an African American middle-class girl is the point of focus of my artwork. Working through the disciplines of drawing and painting, I have created works that explore the theme of cultural and sexual identity through the lens of childhood and adolescence. These emotive, visually alluring pictures depict scenes of young girls engaging in play that borders between sexual experimentation and innocence. By honing in on the right moment and the in-betweens, enough information is provided to create a narrative and engagement with the viewer that aims to push a psychological agenda. The interactions of these girls within a middle class suburban home investigate the origins and manifestations of race and social taboo. Alexandria Smith was born in the Bronx and raised in New Rochelle, New York. She received her BFA in Illustration from Syracuse University and her MA in Art Education from New York University. Upon graduating from NYU, Alexandria became a Middle School Art Teacher in Harlem for three years. In 2008, she left teaching to satisfy her yearning to develop her artistic identity and received her MFA in Painting and Drawing from Parsons, The New School for Design in 2010.Alexandria currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.