For over three decades, Sonya Clark has dedicated herself to exploring themes of history, race, and reconciliation. Her work employs the language of textiles, the politics of hair, and the material substance of objects to not only celebrate and foster community but also to address historical imbalances and highlight injustices. During her first residency at Tamarind Institute Clark continued to explore the cultural aspects of Black hair. Clark uses hair as a metric for measuring histories and as a means to amplify what is obscured, hidden, or whispered. Hair, for Clark, operates as a language, symbolizing the essence of being Black, encapsulating the enduring experiences of the Black community, and envisioning boundless possibilities for the future. The five lithographs she created during her time at Tamarind are profound and deeply personal.

In 1995, Clark earned her MFA in Fiber from the Cranbrook Academy of Art, marking the beginning of a journey that has garnered her widespread acclaim for her innovative artistic practice.  Her work has been exhibited in over 350 museums and galleries across the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia, with a retrospective organized by the National Museum of Women in the Arts in 2021 and a traveling exhibition organized by Cranbrook Art Museum in 2023. Notable accolades include a United States Artists Fellowship, a Pollock Krasner Award, an 1858 Prize, an Art Prize Grand Jurors Award, and an Anonymous Was a Woman Award.

The 2023 Artist Residency was supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

More Information
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Artforum
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