Simone Spencer

Who is the artist behind Simone Spencer Visual Artist?

Tell us about yourself: your roots, your early inspirations, and what defines your identity as an artist.

I am a visual artist from Cabo Verde. I am a woman. I am free and i love beautiful things. My work is characterized by strong colors and freedom of experimentation. I have always been very curious about how things work and that translates into my practice.

How do you present yourself artistically?

What are your preferred expressive languages (painting, installation, drawing, etc.), and how would you describe your style or visual signature?

I paint, i sculpt, i build. I love to experiment. Every time people ask me what is y style I say, i do whatever I want. My visual signature is bold and vibrant colors, visual research and art that is made by a woman. I am interested in decolonizing art and art as a means to open constructive dialogues.

How has your creative journey been so far?

Share with us the most significant steps, challenges overcome, and choices that shaped your path as an artist.

The most important choice i made was to call myself an artist, or better, to let myself be convinced that i am , indeed, an artist. The second most important is the daily reminder that i know what i am doing and I know what I want to say with my art. I can be my harshest critic, so i remind myself daily that i already have all the tools that I need to create what I want.

What are your goals, current reach, and dreams as an artist?

What do you hope to achieve in the short and long term? Is there a specific community or audience you wish to reach?

My goal is to make art full time and participate in more artistic residencies. I hope to reach more capeverdeans and people that love Cabo Verde, and strengthen my connection with other art practitioners in my continent. I am excited about the conversation happening in the art sphere among people of African descent and how we can bring those conversations to Cabo Verde and how we relate.

What values permeate your work, and how do you perceive your art within Cape Verdean identity and African heritage?

How does your art dialogue with ancestry, culture, identity, and Cape Verdean or African narratives?

I am deeply inspired by capeverdean culture and my African heritage. I am currently researching Panu di Tera and using traditional craftsmanship such as embroidery and crochet. Through my digital collage, I repurpose vintage photos, it started as an exercise in looking for faces that look like mine and now it has evolved to finding people and faces that feel familiar and building a story around the information i might find about them or the story i make about them.

Is there a art project, symbol, or artist from CV that inspires you the most?

Someone or something visual or conceptual that holds special meaning for you?

Luisa Queiros holds a special place in my heart. I am always in awe at how she so masterfully uses a plethora of techniques to further her storytelling in her paintings, her exquisite use of color and the way she expresses the stories and people of Cabo Verde is truly inspiring. I am also very inspired by panu di tera. Its importance in history and the fact that there are over 60 different designs is amazing. Panu di Tera designs is something I am looking forward to incorporating more in my art.

Have you ever incorporated traditional practices (literary, musical, visual, or artisanal) into your artistic production?

How was that integration and what was the creative outcome?

What is the relevance of your work in this context?

Art is the vehicle by which messages are transmitted without the need for translation. In a fractured world as we live, we need art to bridge the gaps and open safe spaces for dialogue.

Is there any work or series you still dream of creating, focused on Black identity or the diaspora?

Something still in the idea stage that you hope to develop in the coming years?

Yes, i dream of creating work based on research about my ancestors that came from the mainland. I can trace my family genealogy up to the 16th century on the european side, but the erasure that the other part of my being suffered was intentional and systematic. I wish someday i can find more information about my ancestry and make work related to that to possibly open the conversation regarding the African part of our ancestry as Capeverdeans.

I also would like to build installations using discarded materials. I have been working with plastic as a way to give it new life through crochet, i have also been experimenting with paper clay and papier mache. I am excited for how i can expand all that i am experimenting with.

What advice would you give to young artists from the Cape Verdean or African diaspora who are seeking to express their identities through art?

A message of inspiration for those just starting out.

Be true to who you are and what you want to say. The world needs more artists with heart, kindness, and care. Trust your gut but be willing to learn and improve so you have a foundation to stand on. Learn the basics. You have to know the basics to break the rules. Ask for help and build your tribe, we grow faster and stronger as a collective. And don’t be scared to experiment and try new things, play is a crucial part of the process. And, again, trust yourself.