I’m Doing This for Me 2022

Curator: Joana Choumali's mixed-media piece presents a figure suspended on a delicate, almost ethereal plane. The work, titled "I’m Doing This for Me," employs fabric, thread, and photographic elements in a striking composition. Editor: The figure’s gaze is immediately compelling, though the overall effect is somewhat unsettling—the threads feel like exposed nerves or a disrupted sense of self. Curator: Indeed. The artist's approach to layering and texture creates a complex visual language. Consider the interplay between the flatness of the photographic image and the dimensionality of the embroidered threads. The bright colors, especially the lime green, stand in stark contrast to the figure's grayscale depiction. Editor: The T-shirt slogan, “I’m Doing This for Me,” paired with the visual vulnerability, evokes questions about self-definition and resilience in the face of social pressures. It makes me think about the narratives women, especially Black women, construct for themselves. Curator: A very interesting point. The composition, with the figure centrally placed, could be interpreted as a statement of self-affirmation. Editor: Seeing how the piece blends media and meaning, I’m left contemplating how personal acts become profoundly political. Curator: The artwork's formal arrangement invites consideration of such thematic depths.