Body of Work 2018

Women of
Colour

Exhibition
Exhibition Women of Colour
First Presentation Struck Contemporary · Toronto
Year 2018
The Series

Women of Colour celebrates Black women through portraiture, pattern and colour — centring individuality, confidence and natural beauty.

Presented in 2018, the body of work expanded from Bing's earlier Adelani head-wrap series into a broader exploration of female empowerment, cultural identity and self-expression.

Bold colour and patterned textiles become part of each subject's presence. Rather than functioning as ornament alone, they amplify individuality and connect the figure to questions of heritage, identity and the ways we choose to present ourselves.

Works Women of Colour · 2018
Women of Colour, 2018, painting by Benny Bing
OHSO, 2018 Acrylic on canvas
48 x 60 in
Women of Colour, 2018, painting by Benny Bing
DJAMILLA, 2018 Acrylic on canvas
48 x 60 in
Women of Colour, 2018, painting by Benny Bing
WEMI, 2018 Acrylic on canvas
48 x 60 in
Women of Colour, 2018, painting by Benny Bing
LEI, 2018 Acrylic on canvas
48 x 60 in
Women of Colour, 2018, painting by Benny Bing
SABRYNA, 2018 Acrylic on canvas
48 x 60 in
Women of Colour, 2018, painting by Benny Bing
NIANGA, 2018 Acrylic on canvas
48 x 60 in
Visual Language

Colour and pattern operate alongside portraiture as expressions of identity, confidence and cultural individuality.

01

Portraiture

Large-scale portraits place Black women at the centre of the image, giving each subject an immediate and commanding presence.

02

Colour

Saturated colour heightens the visual presence of each figure and becomes a defining element of the series' emotional language.

03

Textile

Patterned textiles and head wraps move beyond decoration, reflecting individuality while carrying associations with culture and identity.

04

Self-Possession

The women are presented with strength and confidence, defining their own presence rather than performing for the viewer.

Exhibitions

Women of Colour was presented across Toronto in 2018.

2018 Women of Colour Struck Contemporary · Toronto
2018 NXNE: Women of Color Toronto
2018 Women of Color Artscape Launchpad · Toronto
Evolution

Women of Colour grew from Adelani, expanding the head-wrap portraits into a broader language of identity and representation.

The earlier Adelani series centred Black women wearing vibrant head wraps, treating the textile as a crown and as an expression of cultural identity, individuality and pride.

Women of Colour carried that visual vocabulary forward while opening the work toward a wider consideration of female empowerment, natural beauty, inner strength and self-identity.

Women of Colour

Beauty is not presented as a single ideal, but as something carried through identity, confidence and the freedom to be fully seen.

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