Arianne King Comer

ARTIST STATEMENT

Although my passion is the ancient tradition of batiking on natural fiber, my original passion was imprinting through silk screening, etching, and wooden relief blocks. So with this project, I decided to integrate imprinting images on batik fiber in order to honor and celebrate women’s adornment in the Fulani of West Africa and the Native American Black cultures of North and South America. I do this as a study of mono prints on fiber.

I have been aware for some time now that West African and Native American cultures honor self-esteem by adorning themselves with beauty in their daily lives, where work, play and ceremony always intertwine. In my journey as an artist, teacher, and a healing practitioner using the arts, I celebrate adornment for self-esteem as a way of life.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Arianne King Comer, a BFA graduate of Howard University, has been an Artist in Residence in the state of South Carolina since 1995. She is a textile artist creating her work in paintings, wearable art, installation art, environmental art, home deco, as well as social justice.

In 1992, Arianne received the UN/USIS grant to study under the renowned Batik artist Nike Olyani Davis in Oshogbo Nigeria, where her passion for indigo manifested. She was given the Yoruba name of Osun Ronke.

She was owner of Ibile Indigo House on St Helena House ’98-04. 2004, Arianne traveled to Istanbul, Turkey as a guest artist sponsored by her daughter, a designer/stylist, Nicole King Burroughs. Arianne created one of a kind jean for Mavi Jeans’s .In 2007, she had the opportunity to join The Charleston Rhizome Collective to conduct a textile workshop in batik and indigo at the World Social Forum in Nairobi, Kenya. 2006-7, Arianne was artist in Residence for North Charleston Cultural Affairs Office.

In 1999, she was featured in the PBS documentary, “Messengers of the Spirit,” and in 2003 was featured in an Indigo Art segment on HGTV’s “Country Style,” which is still in syndication.   She is an active member of Alternate ROOTS, Charleston Rhizome and a designer for Seeking Indigo. Her work is in several traveling exhibitions nationally as well as statewide

In 2012, Arianne had two solo exhibitions:  “My Spirit Speaks” at the Rosa Parks Museum in Montgomery, Alabama and “Voices from the Water” at Dalton Gallery in Rock Hill, SC. In 2013, Arianne was featured in the Charleston Magazine’s “Giving Back to the Community” segment in the May issue.  In the fall, Charleston’s MOJA Festival honored for her with an award for her service as an artist.She is currently working on workshops planned in Port Antonio, Jamaica and a joint exhibition scheduled this fall at Charleston’s Waterfront Gallery.

Arianne is an art consultant, indigo and community arts advocate, lecturer, teacher, and textile artist.