KARA MSHINDA: Assembled Presence

Kara Ja'Nice Mshinda is a visual artist born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. After graduating from The University of Akron with a degree in Interdisciplinary Anthropology, she relocated to Philadelphia to continue her studies at Temple University. 

Her work captures the dynamic essence of daily living—from the documentary of urban life to the uninhibited movement of children at play, to her use of fashion magazines as elements of material culture. While subjects in her artwork vary, the overarching theme in Mshinda's work is the power of the feminine gaze and the surrealism of perspective.

Currently serving as Fellowship and Residency Director at Da Vinci Art Alliance and an active member of Tiger Strikes Asteroid, Mshinda remains deeply engaged with Philadelphia's art community. As a Principal Collaborator of GrioXArts, a studio-based art space at Cherry Street Pier, she focuses on building community through process-based art education, creating opportunities for others to discover their own creative voices.

This collection explores the face and hands, sensuality, and expressions of femininity as elements of desire. Inspired by Ball culture and the significance of the face in "vogue femme" dance performance, these pieces transform imagery sourced from contemporary fashion magazines into new narratives of identity and expression.

I printed my photographs as transparencies, cut them into various shapes, and reassembled each image on a scanner. The resulting images are neither factual nor false, but reframe ideas of community, discovery, and the built environment.