Bio

irene bolds-hatten is a multidisciplinary artist, independent researcher, and community archivist born and raised in San Francisco, CA (colonized Ramaytush Ohlone land). Her artistic practice includes dance, graphic design, floral design, and literature. She holds a B.A. in Urban Studies and Planning from San Francisco State University.

Her research stems from a love for Black material culture and aesthetics and curiosity about how the legacies of slavery and urbanization shaped the lived experience of Black Americans.

Professionally, she has experience in nonprofit communications and fundraising, arts administration, community engagement, and creative production. As a creative consultant partnering with social impact organizations, she uses visual storytelling to amplify their impact.

irene is currently writing her debut novel.

Artist Statement

Grounded in the duality of holding joy and pain, my artistic practice weaves placemaking, identity, and culture through the lens of belonging and collective memory. I bridge the past, present, and future, acting as a mirror that reflects and refracts the complexities of Black American identities and life. I explore tensions between rootedness and displacement through literary works, cultural archiving, and interdisciplinary design.

My practice is a multifaceted exploration of Black American existence across multiple time and space continuums. An exaltation of spiritual alchemy, material intelligence, and communical liberation. Through this lens, I aim to amplify the voices of the silenced and disenfranchised who contribute to the ongoing dialogue of Black futurism and cultural preservation. Guided by ancestral intelligences, my work critically examines exploitative and harmful systems while dreaming of and materializing alternative futures. Through the digital and physical realms, my work offers beauty as a form of resistance, an invitation to partake in whimsy, and a catalyst for critical thinking.