ICP Teen Academy
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Heaven Murphy
Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto, when will they stop putting us in a box? Better yet, how can I step outside the box when it seems like we’ve been chained to it forever. Growing up as a young African American I felt as though I had to act or dress a certain way to be “socially acceptable.”Working on this lifelong project I hope to break this push to be “proper”, and “clean.” What does a business woman look like? 5 '2, Black woman, Black suit, long braids, and aggressive, or is that the description a criminal? Why must I look and act a certain way to be accepted as a whole individual?
Through the use of mixed media collaging I am able to push myself as an artist to make a change within my community. I want to break outside of the box and show that me and my people are artists, we are entrepreneurs, we are a community, and we are allowed to be happy and express ourselves. In my self portrait ‘Don't Force My Smile’ I express this feeling of not wanting to be inside of a box by using the contradiction of white hands pulling and “forcing my smile” I am dressed in a suit and jeans representing that even if have to fit into this “box” my identity will continue to spill out.
With my artwork I hope to highlight our true fight, we fight to smile and be comfortable in our own skin. As a black artist I never understood why we must stoop down to oppression, we must stop highlighting the negative aspects of our fight, when that’s all they’ve been doing for decades. I believe, as photographers we should be wanting to capture and elevate the memories we’re creating to share them with the world. I want my work to make you take a double look, I want to show our smile without it being forced.
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During Murphy’s adolescence she took pictures for her mother and sisters which caused photography to reel her in like bait on a fishing pole. Through these enriching experiences, street photography and portraiture came naturally to Heaven. Murphy aims to sharpen her technical skill-set whilst defining her creative practice, pushing her images and creating meaningful stories.