ARTIST BIO

Delaney George is a New Orleans-raised photographer, director, and visual artist. 

In her practice, George portrays the black femme narrative through a series of photoshoots she fully conceptualizes. Most concepts come to George in a series of dreams or visions. George's work aims to extract feeling from the viewer by consistently portraying themes of nostalgia, femininity, and history re-imagined. 

George’s work has been said to be a side of fine art photography that is both a contemporary ode to the past and a safe space to display figures in spaces they aren't commonly represented or historically welcomed.

Public collections holding her work include Gallery 90220, The New Orleans Museum of Art, and Martine Chaisson Gallery.

George has recently shown works in the exhibition for the motion picture film TILL: Impact of Images,  amongst legendary photographers like Gordon Parks and Kwame Brathwaite, and will be contemporizing photos for the official Ernerst Withers archive of historical photographs premiering March 2023.

Her past exhibitions include Femmisance, Stella Jones Fine Art Gallery, Essence x Coca-Cola's Sisterhood Exhibition, Woman Made Gallery, Barrett Art Center, Save Art Space, and more. 

Clients Include Lack of Color AUS, Forever 21, Essence Festival, JET Magazine, Walmart, NIKE, and more. 

ARTIST STATEMENT

I would describe my art as a visual apology to the younger me and girls like me. I did not grow up seeing the images I create in magazines, books, bible stories, etc.. I often wonder what I would be like today if I had. I often study anthropology and pull inspiration from the many different eras of human life on earth. And each time I cling to one era, I must stop and ask myself, where would I be in this time? Who would I be? Where would black people fall in this society? In answering this, I then try my best to create a narrative where my people are triumphant in these spaces. Somewhat re-writing history with a happy ending.  

But for some shoots, it is not always about history, but about letting my dreams and imaginations run wild and painting that story with a camera. Many of my concepts come to me in a dream or vision. And although everyone will not always make the most sense, I can’t sleep unless I execute it. 

Whether it be a concept from historic inspiration or the ideas that fall from my mind, I always aim for the subject or model featured to become the person I envision rather than just themselves. It is one thing to portray a figure of power or celebrity in a certain light or theme, but one must ask if the viewer cares more about the photograph because of who is in it vs. what it actually represents. I aspire to show all people, known and unknown in lights of power, imaginative themes, and in spaces that are juxtaposed. To say to the subjects featured and onlookers of my art “you do belong here”. 

ARTIST BIO

Will Raojenina, also known as WCMTL, is a Canadian/Malagasy self-taught multidisciplinary visual artist currently based in Los Angeles. 

His distinctive technique can be spotted instantaneously through his subtle positive messaging and his colorful, dimensional, and heavily mixed media textured work, which he meticulously reinforces layer after layer.

With immigrant parents from Antananarivo,Madagascar, Raojenina was born and raised in Montreal, Canada, where he honed his artistic style early while being amassed in his hometown's vast population of races, cultures, and ethnicities. Growing up, he had his fair share of struggles as his father had a mental illness, which led him to become violent, forcing Raojenina and his family to leave. Experiences of pain, poverty, and frustration created within him a linguistic barrier with others. This miscommunication and internal frustration led him to art as a catalyst for self-expression. 

That is where he began to sew and paint on clothing fabrics at 15 years old and earned his nickname WCMTL (Willis Couture Montreal). He befriended other children who immigrated to Montreal, hoping for a better life. Despite the different struggles, language barriers, and cultural

differences, the array of perspectives and oral stories through effective communication fortuned him a positive point of view, which taught him to let go of his negative feelings, love others, keep pushing, and appreciate cultures that are different from his. 

More than a decade later, he decided to pick up the painting brushes again and officially began to paint on canvas. He continues to use art as a catalyst to escape pain and emphasize to his audience the positive results of communicating without fear and understanding each other.

WCMTL's work has been seen in different art exhibitions across Canada and the United States. His art collectors can be found in different cities, including Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, New York, San Francisco, Washington DC, Los Angeles, and many more.

ARTIST STATEMENT

My work emphasizes overcoming the fear of communicating and comprehending others due to the emotional ramifications caused by miscommunication. Through my art, I visually place relevance not on the differences but on our similarities, hoping we can come together from a place of love and understanding.