I remember watching the hair competitions like Unlock The Flavor and Bronner Brothers Beauty Shows seeing my first sculptures and installations. All of this was a movement, a performance art form before it was informed to be called that.
Emily Manwaring (b. 1999, USA) is a Brooklyn-based interdisciplinary artist whose practice explores identity, materiality, and cultural memory through painting, sculpture, and assemblage. She received her BFA in Fine Arts from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (New York, NY). From an early age, Manwaring developed a distinct visual language, with her artwork on clothing featured in BET runway shows at age 16, curated by June Ambrose. Her work has been exhibited internationally and featured at institutions and galleries including The Brooklyn Museum (Brooklyn, NY), the Venice Biennale (Italy), Canada Gallery (New York, NY), and New Image Art Gallery (Los Angeles, CA). Her practice has been recognized by publications including Forbes 30 Under 30, JUXTAPOZ, It's Nice That, ArtDaily, Artnet, Office Magazine, and The New Yorker. Manwaring's work has also been featured in Usher's "Ruin" music video and the publication The Nameplate: Jewelry, Culture, and Identity, held in The Metropolitan Museum of Art Library.