Jioni Warner

About Jioni Warner


Jioni Warner is an artist born in Leeds. She is currently in the final year of her BA at Staffordshire University. From a young age, Warner developed a passion for art. She describes herself as a mixed media painter but has experimented with lots of materials over the years. Warner uses portraiture to inform and communicate the exploitation of black women in society and its links to historical events. The work exhibited is part of an ongoing series that raises awareness about the issues black women face day-to-day dealing with the double burden of racism and sexism. This covers other topics such as sexual fetishes, human zoos, The Windrush, and colonisation. In raising awareness, she seeks to educate viewers who have categorised black women based on stereotypes encouraged by the media.

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The paintings are created by translating photographs into paintings. Warner uses herself as the model and creates characters to evoke the theme of the painting to form the narrative and experience. In her portraits, she uses photo transferred images to fill the background of her paintings. She has been influenced by Zanele Muholi and Amy Sherald, who also use the gaze to confront the audience. You can also see the influence of Njideka Akunyili Crosby, who combines her paintings with photo transferred images digital. Warner gathers the images from social media, archives, articles, and the internet. The profusion of images allows the viewers to question the relation between them and the woman in the portrait. The found images also inform Warner how to embody the character she portrays.

Scramble for Africa I
Scramble for Africa II