BIOGRAPHY
My name is SCLSCM (pron. s-EEL s-IM), I’m a biracial, queer woman of color and creator across multiple mediums and genres. I graduated from New York University, Tisch School of the Arts in 2015 with a B.A. in Film and Television. I currently freelance in the entertainment industry as a union (applicant) Set Dresser / Property Assistant with IATSE - Local 52.
S.C.L.S.C.M. - “She Can Love. She Can Masturbate," was conceived late one night, during a time when I was discovering my sexuality and identity while dealing with intense self-hatred. SCLSCM was born from societal taboos that shame women for indulging in self-love and self-pleasure. I started this body journey to help me learn how to love myself and visualize how that transforms throughout my womanhood. Through my journey, I hope that other women will be influenced to evaluate their own metamorphosis and confront any feelings of self-hatred that so many of us face daily.
Proud member of “Black Girls Who Paint.”
Why Love and Masturbation?
There are many layers to the meaning of SCLSCM, it is two separate parts of my art that make up the whole. For the longest time, I only looked for Love in external places. I searched for it everywhere like an object or tried to slip it on like a pair of leggings. Eventually, I discovered Love has many faces, shapes, and colors; it wasn’t always something I could grasp, yet it was always directly in front of me. I learned that S.C.L. is the center stage inside of me and that love no matter how quickly it happens or where it comes from it’s the fuel that moves me.
“Masturbation,” much like its sister word “pussy”, as it relates to women, is still in the minds of many considered to be dirty, inappropriate, and shameful (but luckily, that’s changing). When I say “She Can Masturbate”, I mean, she-can-do-it-her (damn) self. She doesn’t need the help of someone else to reach her peak. S.C.M is a part of my artist’s name because my work is something that keeps me up at night, sweating, in a fever dream of thoughts. My art and poetry give me intense pleasure and allow me to reach a climax from something I created with my own hand.
ARTIST STATEMENT
My art is a reclamation of my body and voice through poetry, music, film, design, and layers of acrylic; it allows me to escape into an intimate space in which I can hold myself and reconnect with my form. As a queer, biracial, woman of color, I'm continually searching for my roots and a place where I can exist freely without restriction.
My paintings explore an imaginary universe where feminine energy is the dominant source of life and nutrition. In this space, I can be guarded and free, dominant and nurturing, sensual but not necessarily sexual. My paintings imagine how our sex morphs to extend beyond traditional, dominant narratives of what it "should be" or how it "should look;" what is decidedly inappropriate and what is acceptable - for a "woman." My work delves into the metamorphosis of womanhood, drawing inspiration from my body, surroundings, disposition, and existing conditions.
The symbolic nature of my compositions is carefully selected to create a dialogue surrounding the issues of how we view our bodies as women, ownership, and the power of identity or lack thereof. I play with concepts of time, space, and elements. These themes help me explore my fascination with the natural forces that reside in women, particularly our ability to be a vessel for life, and our endurance. Our bodies are keepers of time, and like space, we also contain chaotic universes.