A nonconformist yet altruistic at heart, Crystal Marshall, an Afro-Caribbean artist originally from Jamaica, exudes a unique and powerful artistic vision, challenging societal norms. Her work fuses her cultural heritage with envisaged meta narratives, creating visually stimulating and thought-provoking paintings that speak to the experiences and aspirations of the African Diaspora. The work catapults the viewer into galactical excursions and technological voids, where the past and future meet in an electrifying and unconventional way with a vibrant palette, dream-like and fantasy driven imagery. Throughout her work, she re-examines identity, race, and fuses it with science and technology to birth newfound forms of freedom and spirituality. Afrofuturism is more than just a mode of expression; it’s cultural gesticulation fabricating new realms where Black people address social ills, find hope, empowerment, and become deeply connected to a sense of awakening and reconnection. This movement blends science fiction, fantasy, and African traditions, envisioning a world where technology and African heritage coexist harmoniously. Crystal Marshall is a captivating conduit into this groundbreaking movement, utilizing her paintings to imagine interdimensional domains without terrestrial restraints but imbued with emancipatory revolution. In a way, Marshall is creating a visual narrative of a world where Black people are not unavailing bystanders, but reside as key players and synthesizers in shaping their own future. She describes her Afrofuturistic theme as such:
“Derived from scientific quantum theory, “Blackbody” represents an Afrofuturistic radiated being that is post-human, decolonized, liberated & freed from chaos and imprisonment within the terrestrial realm. Blackbody, is born of invisible light sometimes appearing white hot and of celestial fire– where the blackbody ascends and is baptized into the cosmos. The series depicts an eternal realm; the before and the thereafter.”
One of the most striking features of Marshall’s work is the way she combines scientific definitions of blackness such as her theme “Blackbody”, which derives from quantum theory. Her figures represent the reorientation of blackness for instance depicted with prismatic black skin capable of emitting immense luminous bursts of white light.
This forges a new identity, transgressing and reconstructing colonialistic definitions of darkness being void and without light. Marshall’s figures eradicate racial definitions altogether in this respect. Her narratives are carefully woven together with a futuristic twist, creating a unique and dynamic visual language that is all her own. In her paintings, you’ll often see a mix of crimson reds and prussian blues; complimentary colors that pop against dark austere galactic backgrounds. Marshall’s use of color is particularly important—each hue is carefully chosen to evoke specific emotions and meanings. Marshall’s paintings don’t always tell a linear storyline in a traditional sense, but rather invite viewers to create their own interpretations based on the themes she presents.
Marshall’s paintings often incorporate symbols that are deeply connected to her Jamaican culture, such as the Swallow tailed hummingbird– Jamaica’s national bird. The symbolism behind this bird is re-contextualized from its prior meaning–reincarnation of dead souls, to be a recurring motif that represents strength, resilience, and growth. Through symbolism, Marshall is able to pay tribute to the African diaspora and create visually tantalizing conversations between the past and present. Her Caribbean Afro heritage lends itself into her art and which shows her deep respect for her roots, but it also challenges the viewer to re-think Black cultural definitions and how they can be reimagined and transformed in a futuristic sense. This fusion of tradition and innovation is what makes Marshall’s work so impactful and relevant today.
Throughout her artwork, Marshall raises important questions about the role of technology in society and its impact on identity. How does technology and the digital world shape our sense of self? In her theme “Technocratic Oath” she takes on a more skeptical approach, where she depicts dystopian horror and how technology in a postcolonial society is used to disempower and marginalize minority communities or the disenfranchised. These are some of the questions Marshall’s work invites viewers to consider. Marshall’s paintings are not just autobiographical but also contribute to a larger conversation about the future of Black culture and identity.
Crystal earned her Bachelor of General Fine arts degree from Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Maryland in 2008, and prior to that studied fine arts at Edna Manley College of Art in Kingston, Jamaica 2003 – 2005. Recently she completed her MFA in painting at Savannah College of Art and Design University. Crystal’s artwork has been shown in exhibitions such as “Intersectionality Theory” at the Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami, group exhibit. She has been featured in two issues of New American Paintings South edition. In addition, Crystal has showcased her works with Czong Institute for Contemporary Art Museum in South Korea, she debuted a solo show at the Chrysler Museum of Art Perry Glass Studio in Norfolk Virginia. Along with group exhibitions at Spartanburg Art Museum in South Carolina, Pen + Brush NYC Gallery in New York city, Marietta Cobb Museum of Art in Marietta, Georgia, Oceanside Museum of Art in San Diego, California, International Museum of Art & Science, McAllen, Texas, Hudson Valley Museum of Art, Peekskill, New York, LaGrange Museum of Art in LaGrange, Georgia, Hammond Museum & Japanese Stroll Garden, North Salem, Reece Museum, East Tennessee State University, Pensacola Museum of Art, University of West Florida,Saatchi Gallery in the United Kingdom.
