Artist Statement
My work evolves from my interest in culture, identity, equity, behavior, belonging and social norms. I have an strong desire to research these topics and tell visual stories from a socio-humanist perspective. Using photography, video and other mediums such as paper and wood, I tell narratives different than that of the dominant culture. Africans in the diaspora and my own lived experience are my focuses. Exploring and questioning the limited and biased view dominant cultures have of the misrepresented is paramount to my storytelling. The intention of my work is to allow outsiders into worlds they normally would not have access to. It is to create connections between the disconnected and to motivate something in the viewer that encourages them to think, see and feel differently about themselves and others, thereby considering to make a change in the world - large or small. When we immerse ourselves in culture very different from our own, our views can be expanded. The effort of the work is to break barriers of communication. By reflecting on the themes in my work and one's own limited view, barriers can be broken. Ultimately, the goal is for the viewer to realize that our shared humanity is better understood when experiencing narratives about cultures different from our own.
Bio
Yeefah Thurman is a multi-media assemblage artist and educator. She was raised in a home filled with art from the African diaspora by parents who encouraged her artistic talents. By ninth grade she was accepted into the celebrated Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. After graduation she pursued creative avenues in fashion as a model and creative consultant. While homeschooling her children she developed an art centered curriculum which led to her daughter winning multiple awards. In her forties an undeniable desire to reignite her art practice pushed her to pick up a camera. In 2010 she was accepted as a mentee to the renowned photographer Jules Allen. A committed advocate for public, art Yeefah has a current installation piece in situ since 2020. In 2021 she was awarded an artist residency in Mexico to research Afro Mexican culture. In 2022 she was awarded an art grant from the city of Evanston with which she co-created a cross-cultural art curriculum and an art residency for middle schoolers. Yeefah maintains a studio in Evanston.