ARTISTS TO KNOW: ALANIS FORDE
Photography by Shalaina Joy
As we approach the Affordable Art Fair Spring Edition opening this Wednesday, March 19th in NYC, we are excited to spotlight Alanis Forde, one of SHEER's exhibiting artists. Alanis is a figurative portraiture and surrealist artist who lives and works in Barbados. She works mainly with oil paint and collage on traditional canvas. The use of unrefined brushstrokes, dotted textures, patterns and vibrant colors allows the viewer’s eye to be in constant motion and transports them into a paradisiacal dystopia.
Alanis’s work intricately navigates the complexities of home, identity, and the ever-evolving relationship with her homeland, Barbados. Through fluid compositions and layered narratives, she constructs imagined paradises that challenge and reframe Caribbean representation.
“I am interested in escapism and what it means to live in a paradise space that is seen as a vacation or escape for others. What then is my escape? My paradise? That ‘third’ escape is what I am searching for.”
In this conversation, we explore the duality of belonging and escape in her work, the evolution of her proxy figures, and the role of collage as a means of self-exploration.
Alanis Forde photographed by Shalaina Joy for SHEER and interviewed by Bianca Jean-Pierre.
Bianca Jean-Pierre: Your work explores the tension between feeling both comfortable in and desiring to escape your homeland. How has your relationship with Barbados evolved through your art, and how do you see this duality reflected in your newest pieces?
Alanis Forde: My relationship with Barbados is ever-evolving and complex. This place is deeply rooted in my identity. It’s both my comfort, heritage and everyday life while also being a limiting force at times. My new works are more fluid, experimental and the “landscapes” are more non-representational. I have became more free in the way I construct my concepts and ideas.
“My relationship with Barbados is ever-evolving and complex. This place is deeply rooted in my identity. It’s both my comfort, heritage and everyday life while also being a limiting force at times. My new works are more fluid, experimental and the “landscapes” are more non-representational. I have became more free in the way I construct my concepts and ideas. ”
Bianca: Collage plays a significant role in your work alongside oil painting. What draws you to this mixed-media approach, and how does it help convey the themes of self-exploration and paradise in your pieces?
Alanis: Collage is something I got into during BFA and I loved the freedom it brought to my practice. It was a form of sketching and way for me to release from the constraints of traditional painting. Collage is still prevailing in my current works but in a conspicuous sense and it’s seen mostly in my sketches which are essentially digital collages. It’ll always be a vital part of my work because it allows me to break free from traditional methods and create a layered, fragmented narrative that mirrors the complexity of self-exploration and the multifaceted nature of paradise.
“Collage is still prevailing in my current works but in a conspicuous sense and it’s seen mostly in my sketches which are essentially digital collages. It’ll always be a vital part of my work because it allows me to break free from traditional methods and create a layered, fragmented narrative that mirrors the complexity of self-exploration and the multifaceted nature of paradise.”
Bianca: Your painting Golden Hour will be a feature piece in the SHEER booth at the Affordable Art Fair in NYC this spring. Can you share the inspiration behind this work and how it connects to your broader artistic narrative?
Alanis: Golden Hour is a part of a series called Discourse. The proxies in this series are allegorical or spiritual figures that are clothed in beautiful gowns who lives in my paradisiacal landscapes. The way this connects to my larger body of work is it creates world building for the larger concept.
Bianca: The concept of the "third escape" is a compelling thread in your work. Have you found moments or places that embody this imagined space for you, either in your artistic practice or in life?
Alanis: I believe I am beginning to touch the edges of that third escape in my newer works. It’s an imagined space so it is hard to visualize it sometimes but I’m seeing glimpses of it in my newfound fluidity in my process.
Alanis Forde, Golden Hour, 2022, Oil on canvas, 30x40in, $3,750
Bianca: You’ve had the opportunity to participate in numerous international exhibitions, residencies, and even public art projects like "The Stamp" mural in Barbados. How have these experiences influenced your creative process and artistic voice?
Alanis: Each of these experiences has widened understanding and also instilled in me a greater sense of global interconnectedness. Each residency and exhibition has allowed me to share my work with different audiences, but also to learn from other artists, creating a collaborative and enriching environment. As a result, my artistic voice has become more diverse and dynamic, influenced by a blend of cultural, social, and artistic elements from around the world.
Bianca: Your work has been recognized in major publications like artnet during Armory Week and Sugarcane Magazine. How do you navigate the balance between maintaining your personal artistic vision and engaging with a broader art market and audience?
Alanis: I usually don’t spend time to stop and reflect on these accomplishments and in a roundabout way I believe that has kept me grounded in reality. Living on a small island as well as keeping myself rooted here as much as possible allows my vision to stay focused. There has never been an imbalance for me or my personal artistic vision.
“Each residency and exhibition has allowed me to share my work with different audiences, but also to learn from other artists, creating a collaborative and enriching environment. As a result, my artistic voice has become more diverse and dynamic, influenced by a blend of cultural, social, and artistic elements from around the world.”
Bianca: As an artist deeply engaged in Caribbean identity, gaze, and representation, how do you hope viewers—especially those unfamiliar with the region—interpret and connect with your work?
Alanis: I believe everyone who interacts with art will view it differently even if it’s only slightly. We each bring our own bias and experiences to everything we see so I can only hope that a smidge of what I wish to convey is brought across to those who come into contact with it. My work however has lots of Caribbean symbols and elements that I believe it’ll get the audience thinking in the way I wish them to.
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Photography by Shalaina Joy
As we approach the Affordable Art Fair Spring Edition opening this Wednesday, March 19th in NYC, we are excited to spotlight Alanis Forde, one of SHEER's exhibiting artists. Alanis is a figurative portraiture and surrealist artist who lives and works in Barbados. She works mainly with oil paint and collage on traditional canvas. The use of unrefined brushstrokes, dotted textures, patterns and vibrant colors allows the viewer’s eye to be in constant motion and transports them into a paradisiacal dystopia.