Sharon Walters (b. 1975) is a London-based artist and project curator whose series entitled Seeing Ourselves, is an exploration of identity, beauty standards, and race through intricate paper cut outs and hand-assembled collages. Since graduating with a degree in Fine Art from Central Saint Martins (University of the Arts) in 2011, Sharon has developed her practice and continued her work with community arts organisations, galleries and museums, using them as platforms to explore and collaborate with voices of those who are often excluded and unheard.
So often blackness is referred to as 'other'. Sharon provokes an alternative narrative centred on empowerment. Each piece is a reaffirmation of the right to 'take up space', even when you don't see yourself reflected back. A need to create our own spaces is an important part of Sharon's practice. Each carefully constructed collage features a black person. Sharon's unique approach extends through to her talks, podcast series, events and project curation. This body of work explores representation in many arenas including arts, heritage and the media.
Recently, she was part of "Like Paradise" at Claridge's ArtSpace, London (2023), curated by Ekow Eshun, and directed performed extracts from 'The Interesting Narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano,' displayed in Black Atlantic at Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge (2023). Previously, Sharon had a solo exhibition at Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham, England (2022), and was included in group exhibitions at Sophie Tea Art Gallery, London (2020); The Chapel Gallery, London (2019); and Gunnersbury Park Museum, London (2019). In 2022, she was commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery, London, to create a portrait of race equality campaigners and radical publishers Eric and Jessica Huntley. The piece was on display temporarily at Gunnersbury Park Museum, London (2023) before heading to the National Portrait Gallery.