Exhibit runs January 11 - February 1
Opening Reception: Sunday January 11, 3-5pm
Artist Talk: Thursday January 15, 7:30pm
Workshop: Thursday January 20, details TBA
Closing Reception: Sunday February 1, 3-5pm
Open during all events, or email us (info@rhizomedc.org) to schedule a different time to view
Rhizome DC presents “Faces of America,” a Solo Exhibition by Selena Noir Jackson
A Living Archive of Untold Stories and Contemporary Identity
Curated by: Babatunde Olufon
What sets Jackson’s work apart is the depth of connection behind many portraits. Longstanding friendships, such as her 14-year relationship with Michaelanne from Anacostia, generate portraits filled with authenticity and lived knowledge. Her choice to paint artists including Lew, Roxxy, Paulino, Var, and Niki reflects her investment in creative communities and mutual recognition across marginalized groups.
The exhibition includes portraits of Black Americans, immigrants, transgender and nonbinary individuals, activists, and artists whose intersectional identities challenge assumptions about what it means to be American. From Var, a Russian-American transgender artist resisting erasure, to Felicia, who speaks to balance and rest as forms of resistance for Black women, to Niki, a nonbinary Iranian American activist for Palestinian rights, Jackson’s subjects reflect the layered realities of contemporary life.
“Trained in classical oil techniques, I use the language of the old masters to build a visual practice rooted in care, inquiry, and dignity. Each figure I paint is rendered with attention to light, surface, and symbolism—mirrors, natural elements, and compositional choices that speak to protection, reflection, and transformation. These are not passive representations; they are living embodiments of memory and becoming.”
Together, the works in Faces of America form a living archive of this moment in American history. As they age, these portraits will stand as documents of how people navigated identity, belonging, and political change offering future viewers an intimate record of contemporary American life.
Her pieces are available for presale at https://www.selenoirstudios.com/work/portfolio
Felicia in Pink, 16”x20”, Oil on Canvas, $700