Siena Smith

Where have you been hiding is a question,

reclamation and realization.

A question to those hidden and generational parts

of yourself that you never nourished or listened to.

A reclamation of suppressed emotions and wishes.

A realization of the importance of being your

authentic self.

–Siena Smith

Siena Smith first developed this work through intensive pastel-drawing exercises, finally layering pattern, material, and texture in this nuanced jacquard-woven iteration to express the essence of Black Diasporic personal, cultural, and spiritual histories. In Wishing, Hoping, she considers the complexities of Black womanhood as intertwined with everyday emotions.

–Kate Irvin, curator of costume and textiles