Mars (b.1987 Statesville, NC) is a multidisciplinary artist whose work preserves the history and modernity of Blackness, queerness, and cultural visibility. They examine how Black American queer identity, desire, and representation are monopolized and erased within systems of white supremacy while celebrating the resilience, prowess, and beauty of Black life and death. Shaped by a Southern upbringing, lived experience, survived traumas and community, their practice is rooted in a commitment to amplify and protect Black queer culture, resisting its commodification without compensation.
They hold a BIS in Interdisciplinary Studies, with a concentration in Psychology and Education, from Johnson C. Smith University, and an MA in Special Education from St. John’s University.
Based between New York and London, the artist works across multiple mediums. They are self-represented, maintaining direct control over the circulation, context, and conditions of their work.
“My practice as a multidisciplinary artist centers, preserves and protects Black queer culture through community-collaborative, research-driven work that foregrounds our lived experience, cultural memory, and promising yet uncertain futures. ”
One night, while I was scrolling on Tik Tok, I came across an Asian American using the word “trade” in their content. Something about how it sounded made me upset to the point where I had to rewind the video and hear it again. The term appeared in a context I had never heard outside of Black queer spaces, which was a misappropriation and therefore wrong. “Trade” was being gentrified and much like other aspects of Black culture without acknowledgement of its origins. Then I asked the question of whose job is it to preserve Black queer culture and protect it from erasure. The answer came back very simple, “You.” “Us.”
My practice as a multidisciplinary artist centers, preserves and protects Black queer culture through community-collaborative, research-driven work that foregrounds our lived experience, cultural memory, and promising yet uncertain futures. My work spans across multiple mediums that include photography, sculpture, installation, mixed media, and fashion while relying on my community for oral histories and community dialogue shaping both the process and final form, allowing my work to function as a living archive of modern and historical Black queer culture that is often commodified and duplicated but never appreciated for its origins. I aim to foster spaces where we as Black queer people can see ourselves reflected with nuance, dignity and value while building art that supports creative labor, collective healing, and sustained dialogue. My work is both an artistic intervention and a community resource rooted in care, collaboration, and long-term impact.
