We recently connected with Cyenda Stormant and have shared our conversation below.
Cyenda, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
In the summer of 2024, I received a flyer with information on the Corazon Gallery’s black and white show. While i figured many people would submit black and white photography, graphite drawings, and maybe even block prints, I decided to take the meaning of the term “black and white” in a less iteral direction. As a person of mixed heritage, knew I wanted to create a work that commented on the dynamics between black and white people, rather than black and white tones. I wanted to portray the human body with a sense of dignity and grace, so I turned to Gustav Klimt for inspiration. I found a simple drawing by him entitled “Lovers, Black Crayon” made in 1908. The gentleness of their embrace and the crude but lovely nature of their bodies is something i found deeply beautiful, and I wanted to capture that same spirit of love in my work. What came out of that inspiration was an 18×22 in. oil pastel drawing of a black woman and white man embracing in the nude, with the woman’s face shrouded in layers of paper flowers and liquid gold leaf. Despite the prospectus saying that all submissions had to be in black and white tones, I decided to do this piece in full color for a touch of irony and controversy. When I submitted the piece to the gallery, many people were confused. I heard conversation amongst the gallery members of not understanding some artists’ perspective, wanting to prevent in color pieces from placing in the competition, or banning in color pieces from being entered at all . Finally I decided to speak my peace and explain the meaning behind my interpretation of black and white. I felt that while many white artists make art depicting white people, and many black artists make art depicting black people, artists seldom make art depicting positive interactions between the two. Many people changed their mind, and some did not. However when it came time to judge in September, I suppose my creative interpretation resonated with the jury, and i wound up winning first place. What made this win so meaningful was not only making a statement I found important, but also starting a conversation within my community about the nature of art itself- is it always how we describe it in a literal sense, or can one stretch the boundaries of what a certain concept means? All in all the work itself, the conversations it elicited, and the accomplishment of winning my first competition make it one of my proudest moments as an artist.
Cyenda, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Ever since i can remember I’ve been creating art. While other kids asked for toys and games, i only asked for art supplies. Paste, pencils, sticker, markers, glitter, anything i could get my hands on to create was a necessity. I would sit at the coffee table for hours just creating, and as i grew old my passion never dwindled. While I was often ostracized as the “weird kid”, art provide refuge and respect in an otherwise alienating environment. I took classes all through my school years, and a few college courses, all for the sake of refining my craft. However, as I’ve never been to art school, I would consider myself a self-taught artist. Id describe my work as eclectic and moody, with a distinct hint of what the Japanese call “the spark of life” in every single piece. My work tends to have a surreal fantasy element to it, and much like the surrealists, it often draws on my subconscious for inspiration. While I may not make a living off of my work yet, I’ve displayed in shows at the Corazon Gallery and A.R. Mitchell Museum, I was a member of Corazon Gallery for 2 years, and I won my first ever art competition in fall of 2024. Above all, I’m proud of my determination as an artist over the years. I would like anyone who may admire my work to take away that determination and an unrelenting belief in oneself is all it takes to make accomplish anything, large or small.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
When the Nazis first took over Germany or the Europeans colonized the rest of the world, one of the first things they did was destroy all of the artwork. All of the religious icons, the statues, paintings, figurines, down to wedding rings and daily garments- all stolen or obliterated. The reason they did that was because even they knew that artwork, large or small, is the heart and soul of a community. It is a tangible representation of who a person or group of people is. I figure, if the first step to destroying a society is to destroy their art, then the first step to rebuilding one is to make more art. I want to inspire people around the world to create artwork that represents who they are as an individual and as a community. Art may not save the world alone, but it has the power to represent radical ideas of how the world should work. Those ideas can inspire individuals, and those individuals can change the world as we know it for the better.
Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?
When NFT’s first came out, I thought they were ridiculous. Like many people, I didn’t understand the concept of investing in something that wasn’t tangible. Many people compared them to the Mona Lisa, saying that while anyone can have a print of her, only one person can have the original. However this comparison always fell flat to me because the real world value of the actual Mona Lisa will never be the same as the value of piece of paper that depicts it. On the other hand, the value of an official NFT and a picture of an NFT are essentially the same, as they are both digital. However, I realized that for the sake of some digital artworks, a certificate of authentication is necessary for the sake of monetization. While I find NFT’s connection to blockchain and cryptocurrency questionable, I can understand tehri function in the sphere of digital artmaking.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cyenda.com
- Instagram: @cy.enda
- Youtube: @cyenda
Image Credits
Jason Frank (scans)
Cyenda Stormant (photographs)