Photo: Chloe May Fuller
"At the heart of my work is the belief that visibility leads to voice. My portraits are an act of remembrance and recognition. I aim to honor and uplift the marginalized, the silenced, and the overlooked. Portraiture carries a responsibility — and in focusing on Black portraiture, I want the viewer to encounter a person beyond stereotypes and bias. In witnessing one's humanity, you can then connect to their truth.” - Zharia Shinn
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Award-winning collage artist Zharia Shinn explores the abstraction of existing visual aesthetics to creates a new context for her psychological paper portraits. Shinn received a B.F.A. in Illustration from Rhode Island School of Design (Providence, RI 2018) and has since practiced in New York. She is interested in broadening the context of conversation surrounding the visual representation and empowerment of the African Diaspora. Ranging from her family to public figures, her subjects are adorned in an array of mediums such as, but not limited to; fabric, printed posters, paint swatches, decorative paper, magazine and more. Her work has been presented internationally and domestically in group exhibitions, art competitions, publications, broadway posters, magazines and more. She continues to build upon her striking collage style through both personal and commercial outlets.
Shinn has had the pleasure of showcasing her work in the following spaces: Dobbin Street (Brooklyn, NY: 2025, 2022); Kente Royal Gallery, (Harlem, NY: 2025); ThirdSpace (Brooklyn, NY: 2024); Brooklyn Collective Gallery (Charlotte, NC: 2022); Dedee Shattuck Gallery (Westport, MA: 2018); Gelman Gallery (Providence, RI: 2018); Designforum (Vienna, AUT: 2018); ISB Gallery (Providence, RI 2018); Woods-Gerry Gallery (Providence, RI 2018); The Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA: 2018); Woods-Gerry Gallery (Providence, RI: 2017) Red Eye Gallery (Providence, RI: 2015).
Shinn was awarded a Gold Graphis Award (2025) for the Broadway show "A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical" poster artwork. Additionally, she received the American Illustration 38 (2018); 3x3 Illustration Annual No.15 (2018); Rhode Island School of Design: John Randall Orth Award (2018); American Illustration 37 (2018); Communication Arts Magazine 59th Annual Award (2018); SILA Illustration West 56: Gold Award (2017).
To contact Zharia Shinn, please fill out her contact form.
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