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Stephanie Thames | Episode 999

Stephanie Thames is an emerging artist in Oakland, California. Stephanie is self-taught but has studied under ceramic artists like Susannah Israel. Stephanie’s work has been shown in group and a two person exhibits throughout the Bay Area. Stephanie’s life is rooted daily in spirituality, and is connected through her art.

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How does Afrofuturism tackle the questions of racism? I know it’s a huge topic but how would say it helps to tackle that?

That’s a deep one there. Well, I don’t know, maybe I can simplify it as much as you can simplify that is that Afrofuturism it takes art, and actually every form of art, music, visual art. I don’t know about performing arts but it definitely takes those genres from the lens of the black community. And like I said earlier, it’s not fair to put us in a box and Afrofuturism is like, Okay, here’s another aspect of us. You know, we love sci-fi, we create in sci-fi and do very well at it.

Is there a specific aesthetic that goes along with this?

Yeah, to me it’s very much abstract. To me it’s a combination. I’ve never thought of that before but now that you ask, it’s a combination of realism with abstract.

Do you feel it also defines identity?

You know, Paul… I really don’t. It’s still not okay to make me “define” my identity because I have so many identities. With this Afrofuturism is a great example of those multiple…here is another aspect. Here’s another part of my identity. But this is only one part.

How does science fiction play into it?

We have this idea of the word alien and I can remember back to George Clinton and Funkadelic and he would dress all space like and with the aluminum type costumes, it’s for me that’s how sci-fi fits into it. And when you see pictures and paintings it’s not unusually to see a space ship in the picture. So so many different pictures in one picture. And it’s not unusual to see spaceships  and this whole get up.  Not the norm of what you see in every day life.

How does it affect politics?

Oh politics, you know what, I have to really think about that one Paul. I’ve never thought about it in that way. And how it pertains to politics. Everything is connected in my belief, everything is connected so all the issues we as human beings are dealing with, we go through, and we are creating. It’s all connected to life and the different aspects of life.  That’s a complex question and politics isn’t simple.

How does Afrofuturism help to express one’s aspiration for a better tomorrow?

You know what, for me it’s like I decided this is what I was feeling, this is a great way to tap into my authenticity and put that together with art and for me it’s like if I can express myself in this way and be my authentic self you may not understand it but this is who I am, well, this is a part of me. And if you can look at this and at least try to understand where this is coming from. LIke wth the world even if we may not understand a culture or understand something about this culture it doesn’t make it wrong, it doesn’t make them bad, they are not weird. It’s part of being an individual and being human. I would love if we could accept those things that we don’t understand. Find a way to accept each other as we are.

Book

What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo

Contact

Instagram: @stephanie_spiritualart