Artist Statement

I create without a beginning, middle, or end

I create knowing the past transcends present to foreshadow “future”

I create knowing i'm not the one creating

I create to bring in the unseen

I create giving black reverence

I create to refuse, to take, and to reckon

I create liberated from a told story

I create unbound to an explanation

I create within an unimagined reality

I create knowing fact holds the key to truth

I create a presence in female forms, vessels, lines, and voids

I create with hard dust, cloth, string, and erasers

I create with agency

I create ways to escape

I create for those outside of the gaze

I create within and without limitations

I create with humility

I create.


Artist Bio

taylor barnes is a ceramicist and fiber artist exploring spirituality, oral history, and power through material and form. Heavily influenced by bell hooks’ object/subject theories, she works with clay, fabric, string, and charcoal to translate emotion and experience into tangible presence. Black being her only color choice and philosophy, she creates work that appears restrained yet carries deep labor, lineage, ritual, and quiet intensity. Her figures are unbound by time whispering knowledge and warnings. Her objects hold undeniable presences, inviting an intimate exchange between object and viewer. As the activation of the inanimate lies at the core of her practice, viewers leave with a lingering reverence to understanding humanity and connection.

barnes received her MFA in Fibers from the University of North Texas. She has exhibited in solo exhibitions at 154 Contemporary African Art Fair in Harlem NY, Texas A&M Universty in College Station , Erin Cluley Gallery in Dallas TX, and Martha’s Contemporary in Austin TX. Her work has been collected by the Mead Museum, board members of the New Museum, and families of professional athletes. Her numerous group exhibitions include Untitled Art Fair in Miami, FL, South Dallas Cultural Center in Dallas TX, Carver Museum in Austin TX, and Dallas Art Fair in Dallas TX. barnes received the Dallas Museum of Art's Arch and Giles Kimbrough Fund Award 2021 and was honored with the Sylvia Houlgand Emerging Artist Award for Make Art with Purpose 2020 and multiple art focused scholarships throughout her education. Her work has been featured on Artsy, Glasstire, KERA, and The Dallas Morning News. barnes was recently honored with the West Orchid Artist Residency, which is a year- long residency beginning in 2026 in Georgia. barnes lives and works in Austin, Texas.