Alice Colin

Originally from Bordeaux France, Alice studied, worked and lived in many countries (India, Spain, Italy, Ireland, England...) before settling in Charleston. She creates visual artworks using acrylic colors combined with recycled elements from daily life such as newspaper, leather, fabrics, and discarded packaging. Her creative process aims at expressing identity and personality using colors and patterns in a constant search for balance between shapes and shades. Through her recent series of portraits, she has been working on highlighting the beauty and power of mixed ethnic background while trying to capture the emotional charge a figure can exude.

WHERE ARE YOU FROM  ?

Through a series of 15 portraits, Alice’s goal is to put into perspective the diverse ethnic identity of women in South

Carolina during her residency at the Gibbes Museum.

She has carefully gathered a panel of 15 different local women that were chosen purposefully based on a sample of various backgrounds, ages, CSP and skin colors. Each of these participants took a genetic ancestry test that helped define their ethnic heritage.

In addition to the test, the participants were interviewed to learn more about their background, cultural identity, work, and involvement within the Charleston community. Alice also gathered fragments of things reminiscing these identities (fabrics, papers, small objects, to be added on the canvas as collages). She then defined a unique palette of colors for each participant (using one main color per ethnicity) and is currently working on painting their portrait in order to create an expressive and visual explanation of their identity.