Victoria Black

Victoria Black Biography

United States, born 1995

For as long as I can remember, I have been making art; even as a young child, I remember making charcoal drawings of local birds and whatever I could find in my school library books. Art was my escape from my unfortunately abusive childhood and teenage years. It was my way of expressing my desires, love of nature, and even my suffering. At the time, I was raised in a heavily religious family in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or what others might know as Mormonism. It was highly challenging and mentally degrading. I was constantly told I was wrong about my love of art, my desire to be a woman, and that the world I found fascinating was evil. I was punished every time I mentioned my passions or questioned the ways of the church or what certain people were doing to my body. Eventually, I grew tired of begging God for forgiveness and announced to my family that I no longer believed in God and that I was in the process of changing my sex and gender. Immediately I was thrown onto the street and was homeless for some time. Luckily, I found my way back into society through government agencies and started school. Thanks to my past, my inspiration for my art is stronger than ever. Now I wish to use that passion to express my concerns about society, my love of nature, and, hopefully, someday make a difference in the world that we live in.