Sheherazade Thenard (b. 1995 in New York) graduated in 2018 with their BFA and later in 2022 with their MFA from the University of Central Florida. They are currently participating as an Artist in Action with American Landmark during a year- long artist residency in Downtown Orlando. How does one navigate the constant uncovering of selfhood? “As a Black woman scholar and a second-generation child of immigrants from Martinique growing up in the Florida sub- urbs, I am constantly negotiating my space in the southern American landscape. My work is expressed as biomythogra- phy to discuss the intersections of womanhood, sexuality, class, and how gender roles influence the spaces I inhabit. I conjure feelings of these experiences in my work as I consid- er the connections between my family’s layered histories and my own. Expressing them through ripples that move through our bodies, affects the climate, and the lands that connect us. My painting, printmaking, and drawing are informed by Af- ro-Caribbean aesthetics. They include a variety of media, heightened colour and undulating texture. I use portraiture and still life as narrative tools to uncover the intimate emotive states of the figure depicted. By using visual elements such as jewel toned skin, I address inherent politicisation surround- ing Black skin. Hot Florida sunsets elicit the appearance of fire and chromatically lush landscapes fight for dominance while simultaneously acting as a concealing element."