Artist Bio
Phoenix S. Brown is an interdisciplinary artist and musician who lives and works in Milwaukee, WI. Born in Cincinnati, OH, Brown earned a BFA from the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design with an art history minor. She is a recipient of the 2024 Wisconsin Emerging Artist Achievement Award, a 2021 gener8tor Art grant recipient, a 2021 artist-in-residence at the Contemporary Arts Center (Cincinnati, OH), a 2018 artist-in-residence at Yale Norfolk School of Art (Norfolk, CT), and a 2024 artist-in-residence at Vermont Studio Center (Johnson, VT).
Her work has been exhibited throughout the Midwest and beyond, including solo exhibitions at the Wright Museum of Art (Beloit, WI) and Trout Museum of Art (Appleton, WI). Her paintings have been presented at NADA Miami Art Fair (Miami, FL), Other Art Fair (Chicago, IL), and Untitled Art Fair (Miami Beach, FL). Her work can be found in New American Paintings.
She is an Aquarius Sun, Cancer Moon, and Capricorn Rising. In numerology, her lucky number is four.
Artist Statement
Growing up, I was taught to fear the night: I was forbidden to walk alone during twilight as it symbolized danger and mischief. As an adult, I now grasp night as an effect of the Earth's solar rotation, not a formidable opponent. I’ve reclaimed the darkness of the sky as a symbol of power, painting Black bodies in shadowy, mystical settings. These figures confidently make eye contact with the viewer and become one with murky environments, challenging my internalized fears of feeling vulnerable in the dark. Urban symbols, such as city skylines, bricks, and windows, morph with natural landscapes, blending memories of alluring and safe spaces. These environments represent my real-life sense of belonging and understanding that night is not inherently evil.
My abstract painting approach reflects my reluctance to reveal my personal narrative in art and reality. To curb this, I depict self-healing through metaphors and fantasy. Cartoonish figures resembling my body control flames with their palms, symbolizing rebirth and strength; squiggly shapes and rapid lines emphasize physical gestures, while reptiles represent shedding past selves. Painting allows me to understand my psyche, express myself publicly, and find healing within Blackness.
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