Dede Brown, one of the artists at Popopstudios, has completed her residency in England, where she participated in an Artist’s Exchange Programme with the Ipswich & Colchester Museums and A Fine Line, for the ‘Stories of the World’ Programme set up for the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

Dede Brown: Artist Statement

The theme I have chosen to explore in my Material Response Project is Identity; personal and national identity through the mediums of painting and costume.  This is a topic that has intrigued me for years and I am thrilled to have been given the opportunity to explore it through my artwork.

As a minority citizen in the Bahamas, I have often felt a sense of exclusion and anonymity in my everyday life because I do not look or sound like a stereotypical Bahamian, I am usually confused with a foreigner. Even when traveling abroad, it often comes as some surprise to learn that I am from the Bahamas.  I do not wish to lay blame or even solve this personal ‘dilemma’ if you will, but am merely exploring a subject that fascinates me and perhaps through this work I seek to find the sense of belonging that I yearn for.

That is what I have tried to emphasize in the paintings; the anonymity of the female figure as a symbol of my own personal journey of self identity. Read Dede’s full statement on her blog.

Related articles:

Popop-Ipswich: A Cultural Exchange
Dede Puts Caribbean Flare On Never Ending Mural
Material Response
Dede In The Bahamian Art & Culture Spotlight
Dede’s Blog
Dede Brown Across The Pond
Bettina’s Films
Bettina’s Project In Progress
Bettina Furnee Returns To Popop