Ashleigh Alexandria, AKA The Virgin Artiste, Paints The Political Assimilation Of Black Women

Ashleigh Aelxandria, AKA The Virgin Artiste, Paints The Political Assimilation Of Black Women

Ashleigh Alexandria, aka The Virgin Artiste described her collaboration of a body painted model live against a brick wall in Bushwick, Brooklyn juxtaposed with a graffiti painting of eight-year-old's Ethan Armen as ironic. It was the spontaneous addition of a New York cop walking by that gave the artistry a political meaning "due to the recent police killings of Black men and women", Alexandria tells Creators. 

The lifelong New York artist's approach to being a portrait artist and a body painter, relates to works from artists like Liu Bolin, with significant reinterpretation of the concept. "My use of women of color as subjects shows how these women can be blended into the background of American society," Alexandria explains. Partial assimilation and a distinct double-sidedness is a critical element in her work. Francesca Capossela writes for Creators: