Bio
My name is Bethani Blake and I am currently pursuing my B.F.A in Painting at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia. Born and raised in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio, it is my intention to manifest my everyday observations through the form of visual arts.
Artist Statement
I translate a present day world that is infected with personal nostalgia, recontextualizing appropriated and personal images. Due to my being half-black in an immediate family of white people, I grew up surrounded by Hollywood iconography and other paraphernalia specific to white culture. This created within me a strong sense of agency modeled after my two older brothers. I choose to acknowledge this connection which drives me to translate my experience in contemporary society with subject matter rooted in cultural movements specific to the turn of the twenty-first century.
My practice revolves around the systematic processing of information I access online. From music to video games, celebrity and social issues, I create new media work that highlights my relationship to the imagery. I am interested in the crossover of information and the irony of my position in the work I am investigating.
Curriculum Vitae
Education
Savannah College of Art and Design 2017-present
BFA - Painting & Performing Arts
Exhibitions & Performances
2020 - UNdefineD | Savannah, GA
SCAD Open Studio (Spring) | Savannah, GA
Read, Watch, Listen | Wexner Center for the Arts
5 Questions with Bethani Blake | Connect Savannah
SCAD Open Studio (Fall) | Savannah, GA
2019 - 48 Hour Play Festival | Savannah College of Art and Design | 3rd Act
Polaroid Stories | Savannah College of Art and Design | 3rd Act
The Hype | Twenty One Pilots
Awards
2017 - Dean’s List 2017-present | Savannah College of Art and Design
Most Artistic/Creative Senior Superlative | Westerville South High School
2015 - Inducted Thespian | Westerville South High School | Troupe 513
Best Actor Award | Westerville South High School | Troupe 513