Asia Youngs-Bailey

Untitled (Back to Black), Archival inkjet print, 15 x 10 inches, 2019, NFS

BIOGRAPHY + ARTIST STATEMENT

Asia Youngs-Bailey is an interdisciplinary artist from Houston, TX. She currently lives and practices in the Dallas/Fort Worth area where she is pursuing her Studio Art degree from the University of North Texas.  As an artist, Asia focuses on her identity—her heritage, ancestry, appearance, and mental health. Throughout her research and practice, she looks deeply at the black community's past, present, and future while driven to find a way to create an inclusive atmosphere for black culture. Her passion to research, reflect and present her artwork stems from the lack of  "fine art" represented within her community and the feeble information provided about Black history from the schools that she attended. Throughout the years, she has learned to examine and navigate these circumstances and both elevate and bring attention to the issues she had to—and continues to—overcome as a black woman. Asia creates conceptual and ethically evaluative work to educate and spread awareness to her viewers through mediums such as photography, videography, sculpture, mark making, and book art. The awareness and education is presented purposely for viewers who may not identify with the marginalized communities or histories that she researches and presents. Meant to intimidate and provoke emotion, she encourages curiosity in order to start the viewer's journey to be an active and empathetic human being. Asia's work is both about progressing and processing knowledge of her cultural heritage, personal histories, and self. 

INSTAGRAM

@asiayoungsbailey

WEBSITE

www.asiayoungs-bailey.com/