VESSNA SCHEFF

poetic & potent

watercolors, music & movement

visual works, installations & performances

vessna scheff is a visual and performing artist based in providence, ri. her work centers articulations of Black liberation and expands on the nuances of moving towards equity. she makes poetic performances, portraits, paintings and installations that use vocals, watercolors, movement, fabric, and projections as mediums of inquiry. her watercolors refract how we conceptualize watercolors, reclaiming an often described as “difficult”/ “sketch” medium for it’s uncontrollable qualities, and rather conceptualizes the freedom of watercolors as an expression of Black liberation- always being, responding, adapting- the living of liberation. her works dance with time and fall to gravity- they blend, bleed, and bloom; they stretch, they resist, they flood, they pour out, they drip- potent in texture, heavy in meaning, and rich in nuance.

“Remembering What It Feels Like” l Mixed media on paper l 3.5x5.5”

“Swallowed Whole” l Mixed media on paper l 3.5x5.5”

“Water > Gold” l Mixed media on paper l 3.5x5.5”

“This artistic, curly-haired Philadelphian uses her ukulele and her gentle voice as vessels for her poignant songs, the effect of which is like sinking slowly into an old hammock–endlessly inviting, but move too fast and the magic might break around you. The chanteuse is expanding both her reach and her repertoire... The point is this–if you’re looking for new creative energies to celebrate, it would be hard to do better than Vessna Scheff.”

- Breanna Perry