Annie Chrissy * Burley
"How do you keep the black female body present, and how do you own value for something that society won't give value to? It's a question I try to answer through my own life."
-Claudia Rankine
“With animation, you can have someone connect with an image, connect with a being that’s not real. You can make someone feel something with the power of what you create. It’s a responsibility.““With animation, you can have someone connect with an image, connect with a being that’s not real. You can make someone feel something with the power of what you create. It’s a responsibility.“
An Ohio native, I received my BFA in Animation and Fine Arts from the Columbus College of Art and Design. Whether creating small or large figurative sculptures in wood, synthetic hair, clay, paint and other materials, films, or mixed media pieces, my subject is black female representation with my creative foundation is animation. With my background in character design and storytelling, I reflect and expose estranging depictions of African American women. Through my work, such as my Big, Black Woman animated character, Aniya, or the trope of dark-skinned-women-with-blond-hair as seen in my Coveting Grandeur sculpture, I create narratives wherein deep-rooted images of black women are re-imagined and transformed.
