Artist bio/statement

     Ai’jhana Cutler is a visual artist born and raised in Jersey City, New Jersey. Cutler received her BFA in painting/drawing at New Jersey City University. She has exhibited in group exhibitions located in New York at Berry Campbell Gallery, New York, NY titled Postcards from the Edge and at ACEA Gallery in Marnay-Sur-Seine, France. Cutler was honored with the NJCU Talent Scholorship in 2022. Her recent series The Butcher House has been exhibited at at NJCU Visual Arts Gallery in Jersey City, NJ. Cutler has also co-curated a group exhibition titled Echoverie including 30+ emerging artists.

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     My work is rooted in exploring connection between people, environments, identities, and the relationships I continue to cultivate. This foundation guides my desire to contort and expand the traditional frame of portraiture. I use stark contrasts in value, bold compositional choices, and deep, saturated color to emphasize the emotional and conceptual weight of each piece. Iconography appears frequently throughout my practice, functioning as a symbolic thread that supports my ongoing engagement with anatomical forms.

     The Black figure is a recurring presence in my work, serving both as a reclamation of space and a challenge to conventional standards of representation. I can explore gendered power dynamics through a conceptual, often unsettling lens, that blends with my use of saturated colors and anatomical distortion to disrupt the ideals of patriarchal structures. My art becomes this spiritual bridge between myself and the viewer, an invitation to see through my lens while simultaneously integrating their own perspective.