Ivyside Juried Exhibition
September 12–October 25, 2024
Familiar Strands
By Zoraye Cyrus
McLanahan Gallery

Artist Bio

Born in 1996 in Brooklyn, New York, Zoraye Cyrus is a multidisciplinary studio artist whose work uses her Afro-Caribbean heritage to search through the complexities and aspects of the self and the other. Cyrus received her B.F.A. in drawing and illustration from the University of Central Florida in 2019, and M.F.A. in painting and drawing from Temple University in 2023. Cyrus was recently awarded the South Florida Cultural Consortium Visual and Media Artist Fellowship in 2021.

Artist Statement

I utilize my personal experiences, family relationships, and my Afro-Caribbean American heritage, to delve into the intricate connections between belonging and identity. As my artistic practice evolves, I find myself increasingly drawn to the power of portraiture. My current focus is on expanding portraits by utilizing drawing and printmaking to encapsulate not just the present self, but the entire tapestry of history, emotions, and experiences that shapes the person being depicted. I use vintage photographs, sourced from either personal collections or public archives, as the foundation for my drawings. I then select additional images to integrate into the original composition in a collage-like fashion, not by physically cutting or pasting, but by drawing or printing them into the piece as though they were always part of the original work. The act of drawing is so deeply personal to me as it allows me to connect further with myself and my family while honoring our experiences. By reviving our existence in the present with new purpose and energy, I am presenting the different dimensions in how people from the diaspora can occupy space and highlight their inherent beauty.

Checklist

  • West Indian Flower Girls Look Different: Altis, 2023
    Charcoal, Graphite, Pastel, Screen-Printing on Paper
    93.5” x 34”
  • Convergence (2), 2021
    Charcoal, Pastel, Graphite, Acrylic on Paper
    74.4” x 54”
  • Convergence (3), 2021
    Charcoal, Pastel, Graphite, Acrylic on Paper
    78” x 56”
  • Seen (Wallpaper), 2023
    Screen-Printing Acrylic Ink on Paper
    80” x 49”
  • What Is True? (1), 2022
    Charcoal, Graphite, Pastel on Paper
    30” x 22”
  • What Is True? (2), 2022
    Charcoal, Graphite, Pastel on Paper
    30” x 22”
  • What Is True? (3), 2022
    Charcoal, Graphite, Pastel on Paper
    30” x 22”
  • What Is True? (4), 2022
    Charcoal, Graphite, Pastel on Paper
    30” x 22”
  • What Is True? (5), 2022
    Charcoal, Graphite, Pastel on Paper
    30” x 22”
  • What Is True? (7), 2022
    Charcoal, Graphite, Pastel on Paper
    30” x 22”
  • What Is True? (8), 2023
    Charcoal, Graphite, Pastel on Paper
    30” x 22”
  • What Is True? (9), 2023
    Charcoal, Graphite, Pastel on Paper
    30” x 22”
  • Untitiled 1, 2024
    Charcoal on Newsprint, Mounted on Wooden Panel
    20” x 12” x 5/8”
  • Untitiled 2, 2024
    Charcoal on Newsprint, Mounted on Wooden Panel
    20” x 12” x 5/8”