Roberta is one of those girls who has a magical vibe about her and, unsurprisingly, she creates the most magical artworks. In a conversation with her over last few weeks, she helped me to understand how the representation of the black female body in the visual art world is a subject of contention for her in the white Australian sphere.
Having spent the first 19 years of her life in Uganda surrounded by art made with vibrant colours and “out of the box” materials, Roberta now finds herself in Australia: a predominantly white space where her identity as a black woman is underrepresented and misrepresented in art.
“Just scrolling through the world of art on Pinterest sometimes, you have to attach “black” or “African” to find any art that black creatives would relate to. If you just search “paintings” you’re more likely to find images that relate to western ideals”
Combatting this, Roberta produces paintings of magical black girls from the internet living their best lives. She believes in the importance of carving out a space for black women in the arts that doesn’t fall exclusively on the “tribal” end of the scale.
“I’d like to show that Black women can just BE and still be enough.”
“I prefer to focus on how best we can work towards carving out a space for us and especially by us”. The best thing that westerners can do to support this, Roberta explains, is simply to listen.
“Everyone’s story is so important and even more important that it is listened to rather than just heard. So when we see that the black voice is under represented we need to seek that out and listen to it, nurture it and let more people learn from it.”
Not only is there a notable passion and intent behind Roberta’s paintings, they are just simply beautiful and you can return to them day after day to gain more joy. I have a gorgeous embroidered piece that I commissioned for my mother’s birthday a few years ago, and still it draws people to our living room to touch it and ask about it.
You can support Roberta’s work by checking out her Instagram and purchasing a piece of art from her website.
Moreover, seek out the artworks and stories produced by the people who you don’t often see represented in art in a multidimensional manner. The more variety of representations you see, the better understanding you have of the world around you.
Let me know what you’d like to read about next by leaving a comment below or chatting to me on Instagram!
Kate A. Creates 
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