Shanequa Gay

gateway to the south, 2024

Shanequa Gay Biography Shanequa Gay is a visual artist based in Atlanta, GA, renowned for her surrealist acrylic paintings that delve into the multifaceted universes within the spirit of the Black Woman. Her artwork engages with tradition, place, storytelling, and subject matter to create imaginative dialogues and alternative self-imaging strategies. Shanequa Gay 's multidisciplinary practice spans painting, illustration, video, performance, and monumental sculpture, crafting environments filled with memorials and rituals. Through these mediums, Shanequa Gay portrays mythical figures, new deities, and images of individuals impacted by inequality. Notable works like Devout Griot and The Fair Game Project feature hybrid beings as central figures, exploring historical and contemporary social concerns through the lens of female ancestors and the plight of Black men. Born in Atlanta, Shanequa Gay pursued her BA in Painting at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), an AA in Graphic Design and Fashion Marketing from the Art Institute of Atlanta, and an MFA from Georgia State University. Her educational background profoundly influences her artistic approach, blending fine arts with graphic design and fashion elements. Shanequa Gay 's achievements include her selection for OFF THE WALL, a Civil Rights and Social Justice Mural initiative led by WonderRoot, and the Atlanta 2018 Super Bowl Host Committee. In 2013, Shanequa Gay was chosen as the illustrator for the First Lady's Luncheon hostess gift for Michelle Obama. Her work has also been featured in television and film, including Lionsgate's Addicted, BET's series Being Mary Jane and Zoe Ever After, and the 2016 OWN series Greenleaf. Shanequa Gay has exhibited at prestigious venues such as the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Chattanooga African American Museum, the Hunter Museum of American Art, the Hammonds House Museum, Emory University, Mason Murer, the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, and the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center. Shanequa Gay ’s work is in public and private collections, including those of actor Samuel L. Jackson and the permanent collection at SCAD. Internationally, she has exhibited in Canada, Europe, Japan, and South Africa. Shanequa Gay is a Do-Good Fellow recipient, an Emory University Arts and Social Justice Fellow (2020), and a Hudgens Prize Finalist (2022). Currently, Gay is a visiting professor at Spelman College, the Visual Artist-in-Residence at Oglethorpe University (2022-23), and one of five Georgia Women to Watch selected by the Georgia Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts (2023). In 2022, she participated in the European Cultural Centre's exhibition at the 59th Venice Biennale in Italy. Jackson Fine Art has showcased her work in exhibitions such as The Beautiful Tale of Atlannahland (2021) and Gateway to the South (2024).