Mia-Renee Okoh - BA (Hons) Fine Art
Mia-Renee is a contemporary artist whose practice blends drawing, sketching, colouring, and layering techniques to challenge systemic and political structures. Her work addresses issues of race, gender, and intersectionality, exploring the deep-rooted impacts of systemic racism while dismantling harmful stereotypes. Through her art, Mia sheds light over racial injustices. Her compositions act as visual demands for visibility and equality, asking and inviting viewers to confront issues of race and gender. Her most recent work is central to spotlighting the experience of Black and brown ballerinas, inspired by the racist history and invisibility within this discipline. Mia’s work aims to restore the individuality and personal expression that this discipline often strips away. Her use of silver graphite and sharply cut lines evokes robotic movement, symbolizing the mechanical nature of ballet and the way it can reduce dancers- particularly Black dancers- to faceless performers. In doing so, she critiques how ballet suppresses identity. Through exposure and education, Mia-Renee’s work acts as a tool for empowerment. Her art serves as a stepping stone towards meaningful change, sparking conversations. With each piece, she works to challenge societal norms and contribute to the ongoing fight for racial and cultural equity in contemporary art.
