Renee Stout American, b. 1958

Renée Stout is a Washington based multimedia artist, whose career has been  recently gaining more of the well-deserved recognition after decades of consistent and enriched artistic work. Her creative activity includes sculptures,  paintings, assemblages, prints, drawings, photographs, and mixed media installations. Stout began as a photo-realist painter of everyday urban neighborhoods after graduating from Carnegie-Mellon University, soon after,   developing an interest in mystical and spiritual traditions in African-American communities. Fascinated with fortune telling and the healing power of Hoodoo that is still practiced within the African Diaspora in the American Southeast and Caribbean, she delved into ancient traditions, magic, and her vivid imagination.

Throughout the decades, she has drawn inspiration from a wide variety of sources such as current social and political events, Western art history, the culture of African Diaspora, daily city life, and the spiritual realm. While her artistic practice is rich of references and resonances, her works are eventually unique manifestations of her own imagination.

We are witnesses to often mysterious narratives the protagonists of which are invented mythic personalities and imagined characters derived from the artist’s alter ego. The stories allude to history, racial stereotyping, urban decay, and healing. Despite the wonderful complexities of these seemingly impenetrable tales there is one narrative that clearly emerges. One that traces her personal history and spiritual journey as a woman and artist.