NADIA FRANCIS

NADIA’S ARTISTIC EDUCATION WAS SELF-DIRECTED AND HIGHLY UNORTHODOX. IT INVOLVED MANY HOURS OF MEDICAL ANATOMY, METICULOUSLY DISSECTING REAL HUMAN BODIES IN THE MEDICAL LABROTORY. SHE WAS BORN IN PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY MARYLAND TO A LARGE FAMILY OF JAMAICAN IMMIGRANTS WHO STRONGLY VALUED THE MEDICAL FIELD. HER MOTHER AND HER MOTHER’S EIGHT SISTERS WERE ALL MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS. NADIA CONTINUED IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS STUDYING BIOLOGY AT HOWARD UNIVERSITY.

AFTER GRADUATING SHE WENT ON TO CONDUCT MEDICAL RESEARCH AT THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION AS A BIOLOGIST. THOUGH HER BACKGROUND WAS IN THE SCIENCES NADIA CHERISHED AND NURTURED HER NATURAL ARTISTIC TALENTS. IN TIME FOLLOWING HE DIVERSE INTEREST WOULD HER BETWEEN TWO WORLDS. SHE WOULD SPEND HER DAYS CAREFULLY AND METHODICALLY TAKING BODIES APART IN THE UNIVERSITY MEDICAL LABORATORY, STUDYING AND CONDUCTION RESEARCH. HER EVENINGS, HOWEVER, WERE SPENT CREATING BODIES IN THE FORM OF FIGURATIVE SCULPTURE IN CLAY. SHE REALIZED SHE WAS USING THE SAME METICULOUS HANDY WORK AND EYE FOR DETAIL TO EITHER CREATE OR DECONSTRUCT THE BODY. IN HER SPARE TIME, SHE STUDIED ESOTERIC ASPECTS OF THE HUMAN BODY. THESE EXPERIENCES WOULD LATER INFORM HER ART.


NADIA IS A SCULPTOR CURRENTLY EXPLORING THE BODY THROUGH METICULOUSLY SCULPTED DOLLS IN WHAT SHE CALLS THE BLACK DOLL PROJECT. EACH DOLL IS AN ARTICULATED AND MOVABLE WORK OF ART, MADE OF OVER 20 SEGMENTS SHE SCULPTS AND CAST BY HAND. SHE MAKES THE EYES, HAIR, JEWELRY AND ACCESSORIES HERSELF EMBEDDING MAGNETS SO THAT ORNAMENTAL AND ANATOMICAL CAN BE ATTACHED AND DETACHED. TO HER, DOLLS SYMBOLIZE THE HUMAN BODY AND SPIRIT AND THE HUMAN BODY IS A MAP OF THE UNIVERSE. SHE FOCUSES ON THE BLACK FEMALE BODY TO UPLIFT AND CELEBRATE BLACK WOMANHOOD.