Shari Phoenix

Shari Phoenix is a contemporary artist based in Barbados who challenges and confronts societal representations of women and People of Colour through highly detailed watercolour paintings. Born in 1997, she earned her Associate’s degree in visual art in 2016 and her Bachelor’s in fine arts at the Barbados Community College.
Phoenix’s art aims to deconstruct and interrogate prevailing perceptions of the Black body, notions of beauty and perfection, and the recurring use of caricature. Her body of work encompasses three distinct themes: “Grotesque Eve,” “Pin Up Rebel,” and “Are You Offended?” Each series raises various questions, sparking essential dialogues about the underlying themes in her art.

Phoenix’s work has gained international recognition with exhibitions at renowned events such as the Prizm Art fair in Miami (2020), collaborations with Auttrianna Projects and Independent publisher Forgotten Lands (2023). Recently, she has worked alongside several artists in Barbados where she participated in the National Cultural Foundation’s Mural Project at its headquarters.

Pin-Up Rebel Series
Limited Edition Print Series by Shari Phoenix
Collaboration with Auttrianna Projects

The “Pin-Up Rebel” series is a bold confrontation against the historical representation of women, as shaped by the male gaze, through a profound reconstruction of the female form via costume. Pin-Up girls have long symbolized the idealized and mass-produced woman, often presented through a lens catering to men’s consumption.

This series also engages the space of Carnival, asserting it as a space that is free and liberating. Here, the female representation undergoes a metamorphosis through costume as a powerful means to deconstruct and challenge the rampant hyper-sexualization of the idealized femininity prevalent in vintage pin-up posters. Through this artistic representation, the body is liberated from the confines of perfection, emerging as an over-exaggerated rendition of humanity’s most innate form.

Wow Ain’t She Hairy!
Limited Edition Prints (3)
Size: 12 inches x 15 inches
Printed with Archival ink on Hot Press paper
Available here

Pin Up Rebel #2
Limited Edition Prints (10)
Size: 12 inches x 15 inches
Printed with Archival ink on Hot Press paper
Available here

Pin Up Rebel #3
Limited Edition Prints (10)
Size: 12 inches x 15 inches
Printed with Archival ink on Hot Press paper
Available here

Pin Up Rebel #8
Limited Edition Prints (10)
Size: 12 inches x 15 inches
Printed with Archival ink on Hot Press paper
Available here

Pin Up Rebel #9
Limited Edition Prints (10)
Size: 12 inches x 15 inches
Printed with Archival ink on Hot Press paper
Available here

Pin Up Rebel #11
Limited Edition Prints (10)
Size: 12 inches x 15 inches
Printed with Archival ink on Hot Press paper
Available here

Pin Up Rebel #13
Limited Edition Prints (10)
Size: 12 inches x 15 inches
Printed with Archival ink on Hot Press paper
Available here

Pin Up Rebel #14
Limited Edition Prints (10)
Size: 12 inches x 15 inches
Printed with Archival ink on Hot Press paper
Available here

“The Pin Up series is Inspired by my Grotesque Eve works done in 2018/2019. I wanted to challenge the idea of perfection throughout the ages at that particular point in time…This work speaks a lot about sensitive topics for women and for me, it’s also about challenging standards of beauty…I feel like society has women feeling like they/ we always have to be pretty and gorgeous – but always according to a certain standard – and that creates a lot of insecurities, self doubt for us…so that’s where that inspiration came from. The main idea is to ask questions, whether there are solutions or not. I want the viewer to think about these things, ask questions, for the ideas to linger in their minds…I’d like my work to be understood in this way.”

PRINTS AVAILABLE HERE