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Uzumaki Cepada Is The Bold Artist Creating Soft Spaces For Black And Brown Bodies
The Afro-Dominican visionary uses faux fur to conjure magical havens that celebrate her people.
Black and brown people are not protected by this world. Gutsy artist Uzumaki Cepada is using bright colored faux fur to craft safe spaces where we can be celebrated and let our guards down. In her striking installations, the ingenious 22 year-old turns objects like stoves, durags, and halos into plush cultural heirlooms — all speaking to a portion of a shared experience among folks across the diaspora. The hues of the fur echo the vibrancy of Cepada’s Dominican heritage and the enduring legacy of her African roots. “I only photograph people of color,” she tells me over the phone from her new Los Angeles apartment about the portraits she includes in her offerings. Our stories, bodies, and lives are at the core of her fuzzy creations.
During that same thoughtful conversation we spoke about spirituality, the importance of cozy spaces for black and brown folks, and why her work centers women.
What first attracted you to work specifically with the fur? What’s the significance that it has for you?
I just wanted to create a safe space for myself and for everybody else. I always wanted to create a room instead of just hanging something up on the wall. So, the fur installations were a good entry into that. And also, having a hard childhood I want to recreate it in a way that everyone’s gonna become a kid when they step inside this room. It’s all about safe space and feeling comfortable.
As women of color, we have to constantly navigate unsafe spaces. Why was it important for you to create a haven within your work?
As a woman of color who experienced the things that I’ve experienced, I didn’t have a safe space. My dad was deported when I was like super young. My mother was by herself with three kids. My mom was constantly on the go, so with other people raising us, it was like our family structure wasn’t there. We didn’t have a safe space, my mom would try to but with having other people taking care of ….
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