Counterfeit:

Paintings, prints, and mixed media exploring originality and repetition in art-making by Candice Black. 

Counterfeit. Adjective. UK /ˈkaʊn.tə.fɪt/

Made to look like the original of something, usually for dishonest or illegal 

purposes.

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/

Candice Black is a visual artist and writer from Wales. As a mixed-race, disabled, female artist, She is inspired by creativity, empowerment, and the human spirit. Art-making and the creative process has served as a life line through challenging experiences. She has created artwork that is experimental, capturing experiences of trauma, the somatic, and hope.

Aiming to create artworks that are authentic, the creative process has brought up questions of originality for the artist. As motifs, ideas, and techniques are repeated, she has explored how new artworks are formed. 

Growing up in the 80’s and 90’s, she is aware of the legacy of postmodernism. Postmodernism proposes that we are all under the influence of media, artifacts, and symbology which in turn are nothing new, and so the concept of originality is a myth. 

Creating authentic artworks is then the challenge. Counterfeit suggests that the creative journey does take influence from other artists and the wider world. However, through experimentation, art-making can result in unique works of art. Through awareness and intention, art can reflect the journey the artist has been on, which is the authentic experience. In choosing to communicate this, art-making becomes a creative practice that empowers the human spirit.