An Interview with Christian Noelle Charles

By Theodore Albano, 17.08.2023

Artist Christian Noelle Charles photo by Matthew Arthur Williams

Multi-disciplinary artist and John Florent Stone scholarship winner Christian Noelle Charles speaks with Theo Albano about her current exhibition WHAT A FEELING ACT 1, a project discussing the topics of racial identity, inequality and care and love through the Black Feminist Lense. Her work has been shown with various institutions such as  Tramway in Glasgow, Scotland, Edinburgh Printmakers, South London Gallery in London, and the Officine Grandi Riparazioni di Torino in Turin, Italy.

 

TA: Great to talk to you CC, could you go into a bit about your background and how you came to work in such a wide range of different mediums, print, video, dance etc?

CC: I come from a very artsy family, my mother was a dancer and arts administrator, my father was a radio DJ. Growing up in that environment really exposed me to a lot of different art, and different types of work. There’s a rich artistic tradition in New York and especially among black artists, such as Carrie Mae Weems, they work in a variety of mediums so really just being always around that kind of energy and environment led me initially into dance and then it blossomed from there.

TA: You were awarded the John Florent Stone Scholarship from the Edinburgh College of Art in 2022, can you talk a bit about working in Scotland and what attracted you to the art culture here?

CC: I finished my masters at the Glasgow School of Art, in 2018, and ever since coming here I’ve been really cognizant of the sense of community and collegiality among those in the arts here, especially within the black and POC communities. The ability for artists to work toward community building is something I really find essential in the making process. As a Black Creative it’s been such a great experience working with other likeminded people and being able to really feel as if things are being done as a collective. This isn’t always the case in the United States where there is very much an “Institutional vs. Collective” attitude, while here I think that the gap between the two is bridged a bit differently.

TA: Can you talk a bit about the current show you have on now WHAT A FEELING ACT 1?

CC: The artworks really aim to capture a holistic look at black women and feminine creatives, and acknowledge the fact that often we have to work much harder to achieve and reach the same place. The location of the ‘salon’ is at the centre of act 1, which is about ‘getting ready’ in a space of relaxation and joy. I wanted my prints to be contextualized in this environment. In other ways a lot of the work ties back into my dance background, for example even the process of making a print is a form of physical rhythm.

Another key aspect of the show are the recorded conversations I had with other female artists in relation to the show, its all part of this idea of “getting ready” for what is to come.

TA: What does the future hold for you in Scotland?

CC: Well it definitely will be the experimental dance section of ACT 2 in October! Scotland is the perfect base for me, and I really would like to continue with that.

WHAT A FEELING! | ACT I,  at Edinburgh Printmakers, is part of the 2023 Edinburgh Art Festival (11-27) August. The exhibition will run from 28 July-17 September.

Also join Edinburgh Printmakers on Friday August 25^th for a celebratory summer block party, enjoy Nigerian street food, have some drinks, and enjoy music throughout the evening, book tickets here