April Bey

You Can Heal Yourself When You Take Your Time (Teal and Yellow), 2019

Relief photopolymer plate print with "African" Chinese knockoff wax fabric hand-sewn

Image size: 14" x 10 1/2"

Overall size approx.: 22 1/4" x 18"

Estimated value: $3000

Printed at CCP by the artist

April Bey was a 2019 Artist in Residence at the Center for Contemporary Printmaking

April Bey grew up in The Bahamas (New Providence) and now resides and works in Los Angeles, CA as a visual artist and art educator. Bey received her BFA in drawing in 2009 from Ball State University and her MFA in painting in 2014 at California State University, Northridge. Bey's interdisciplinary artwork is an introspective and social critique of American and Bahamian culture, contemporary pop culture, feminism, generational theory, social media, AfroFuturism, AfroSurrealism, post-colonialism and constructs of race within white supremacist systems.

Bey has launched 4 solo exhibitions: Picky Head at Liquid Courage Gallery in Nassau, Bahamas, COMPLY at Coagula Curatorial in Chinatown, Los Angeles, MADE IN SPACE at Band of Vices Gallery in West Adams and most recently a large survey of work spanning several years, Welcome to Atlantica at Fullerton College Art gallery. Bey has participated in the LA Artshow and UNTITLED ART.

Acknowledging academia is a system in desperate need of decolonization, Bey is in the permanent collection of The California African American Museum, The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas and The Current, Baha Mar in Nassau, Bahamas. Bey has exhibited internationally in biennials NE7, NE8 and NE9 in The Bahamas as well as in Italy, Spain and Accra Ghana, West Africa.

Bey travels extensively to collect data for her work including Canada, Iceland, London, Bali, Dubai, Morocco, Senegal, Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Ghana, West Africa. Bey is both a practicing contemporary artist and art educator having taught a controversial course at Art Center College of Design called Pretty Hurts, analyzing process-based art and Beyoncé hashtag faux feminism. Bey is currently a tenured professor at Glendale College, CA.