A Short Biography
I was born and grew up in Manhattan as Geri Seignious - I evolved into Juliet later; Ndidi later still. To be exact, I grew up in Harlem, the place where I witnessed Malcolm X enlightening the crowds on street corners, Adam Clayton Powell preaching in Abyssinian Baptist church, doctors and porters living in the same buildings, children playing a dizzying array of street games and people sitting on fire escapes to catch a breeze in summertime. It was here, in this time and place, that I acquired my passion for art. This was particularly cultivated on rainy days - the “inside days” with paper, pencils, crayons and the expectation of creation, as well as transforming.
Having two passions as a child, painting and dance, I elected to take both in Junior High School. It was then that I realized exactly how much I loved them. Although I was accepted into the High School of Music and Art, I decided to attend the High School of Performing Arts (of Fame fame). After graduating, I had offers from numerous organizations: Martha Graham Dance Company, the Julliard School (a full scholarship for dance) and the New York City Ballet. Regarding the last option, this was an apprenticeship program to ultimately partner me with Arthur Mitchell who was the only African American dancer in the company associated with the school. I turned all of these down in order to become one of the founding members of the Alvin Ailey Dance Company and it was here that my interest in African American history was peaked. Working with Alvin was an extremely moving and visual experience. And being in the middle of a black company, talking about black heritage at the high-point of African American political and cultural awareness was amazing and significant, on so many levels. In this context, I first thought of expressing thoughts, emotions and history in paintings.
After a long career in dance (with Alvin as well as across Broadway, Hollywood, Television and several countries abroad), in 1990 I became inspired and, more than a little, obsessed with painting. At this time, I had taken a trip to Edisto Island, South Carolina - a small island near Charleston, South Carolina where my parents were from. The Island was interesting because it was one of the first places where African-Americans arrived in the United States and it was always insulated from the rest of the country, retaining numerous vestiges of its unique history in language, architecture, food and beliefs. Initially, I had gone to Edisto to learn about and feel a connection with my heritage, which was held from me because my parents never spoke about the place where they were born, nor African American history in general. While on the trip, I engaged in conversations with a wide variety of individuals that were either family members or that had intersected with the family in some way (e.g., legal officials, archivists, activists, and church-goers). The trip also involved site visits as well as some archival work: looking through pictures of relatives - alive and long passed, legal documents about slavery and property as well as several detailed personal diaries.
This process was in many ways overwhelming. At once, I felt connected to all of the information, while at the same time distant from it. Through art, however, I found my connection to my heritage and a modality in which to share it with others. Through my paintings, I document, explore and commune. Essentially, my work is an explosive assemblage of styles and techniques but they are largely figurative in nature with elements of abstraction. Within any one piece you might find painted portraits, photos, historical documents, cheesecloth, shells, oils, acrylics, varnish as well as pastels, my signature painting on tarpaper. Self taught, one clearly sees the influence of numerous artists: Romare Bearden, Van Gogh, Matisse and Jackson Pollack.
Enjoy
Juliet (“Ndidi”)
Having two passions as a child, painting and dance, I elected to take both in Junior High School. It was then that I realized exactly how much I loved them. Although I was accepted into the High School of Music and Art, I decided to attend the High School of Performing Arts (of Fame fame). After graduating, I had offers from numerous organizations: Martha Graham Dance Company, the Julliard School (a full scholarship for dance) and the New York City Ballet. Regarding the last option, this was an apprenticeship program to ultimately partner me with Arthur Mitchell who was the only African American dancer in the company associated with the school. I turned all of these down in order to become one of the founding members of the Alvin Ailey Dance Company and it was here that my interest in African American history was peaked. Working with Alvin was an extremely moving and visual experience. And being in the middle of a black company, talking about black heritage at the high-point of African American political and cultural awareness was amazing and significant, on so many levels. In this context, I first thought of expressing thoughts, emotions and history in paintings.
After a long career in dance (with Alvin as well as across Broadway, Hollywood, Television and several countries abroad), in 1990 I became inspired and, more than a little, obsessed with painting. At this time, I had taken a trip to Edisto Island, South Carolina - a small island near Charleston, South Carolina where my parents were from. The Island was interesting because it was one of the first places where African-Americans arrived in the United States and it was always insulated from the rest of the country, retaining numerous vestiges of its unique history in language, architecture, food and beliefs. Initially, I had gone to Edisto to learn about and feel a connection with my heritage, which was held from me because my parents never spoke about the place where they were born, nor African American history in general. While on the trip, I engaged in conversations with a wide variety of individuals that were either family members or that had intersected with the family in some way (e.g., legal officials, archivists, activists, and church-goers). The trip also involved site visits as well as some archival work: looking through pictures of relatives - alive and long passed, legal documents about slavery and property as well as several detailed personal diaries.
This process was in many ways overwhelming. At once, I felt connected to all of the information, while at the same time distant from it. Through art, however, I found my connection to my heritage and a modality in which to share it with others. Through my paintings, I document, explore and commune. Essentially, my work is an explosive assemblage of styles and techniques but they are largely figurative in nature with elements of abstraction. Within any one piece you might find painted portraits, photos, historical documents, cheesecloth, shells, oils, acrylics, varnish as well as pastels, my signature painting on tarpaper. Self taught, one clearly sees the influence of numerous artists: Romare Bearden, Van Gogh, Matisse and Jackson Pollack.
Enjoy
Juliet (“Ndidi”)
