Christian Noelle Charles exhibition WAIT A MINUTE?!!

The Scotsman

Christian Noelle Charles exhibition WAIT A MINUTE?!!  A New York artist whose work is celebrated in the Gallery of Modern Art and the National Gallery of Scotland presents a significant new body of work in her adopted hometown of Glasgow this spring.  WAIT A MINUTE?!! Christian Noelle Charles explores the complexities of solitude in the Black female experience in a new solo exhibition at Glasgow Print Studio.   An evocative new exhibition, WAIT A MINUTE?!!, invites viewers to delve into the nuanced experience of solitude, particularly as it pertains to the layered identity of a Black woman in contemporary society. The exhibition, a powerful reflection piece, opens on Thursday 3rd April from 6pm at Glasgow Print Studio, Trongate 103, G1 5HD. WAIT A MINUTE?!!, poses the fundamental question: "When did you reach your place of solitude?" Through a series of performances and a collection of self-portraiture developed over the past two years, the exhibition explores the delicate tension between isolation and solitude, examining how these experiences shape and inform the multifaceted understanding of being a Black woman today.  In an era defined by instant communication and digital immediacy, solitude can be both a refuge and a confrontation—a space for profound processing, unraveling, and rebuilding. This exhibition navigates themes of validation, intimacy, and acceptance, documenting the evolving relationship with the self and how solitude facilitates both self-affirmation and self-interrogation.  The exhibition space itself is meticulously designed to mirror this internal dialogue. Viewers are invited to traverse layered prints, fragmented compositions, and carefully curated objects that blur the lines between private reflection and public display.  The layout of WAIT A MINUTE?!! reflects the psychological journey of solitude. Upon entry, visitors are met with large-scale, layered screenprints that embody the tension between patience and impulsivity. These prints, arranged salon-style, create an overwhelming visual presence, echoing the chaos of indecision and internal monologue. Colours overlap, blur, and obscure, much like memory and emotion.  A recurring motif of a phone screen with three blinking dots punctuates the space, symbolising the anticipation of communication - the endless waiting, the desire for response, and the contrast between connection and detachment.

Transcript

00:00Hello, my name is Christian Noel-Charles. I'm an artist based here in Glasgow, Scotland, originally from Syracuse, New York.

00:06We are here at the Glasgow Print Studio for my new exhibition, Wait a Minute,

00:12which is a reflection piece about solitude.

00:15So Wait a Minute is a response from a question that was approached by a friend within the Glasgow arts scene.

00:23They asked me, when did you find your place of solitude?

00:26And I was taken aback by that question because I didn't know

00:31where I was at my happiest at the time. A lot of

00:35elements of the show became like a motif that was in relation to like, pause, sit, reflect,

00:42and certain motifs around this show is a reminder of that, but also

00:48really a reflection of me growing up at the same time.

00:53So I think I was turning 30 when I was approached with the show. So it was just like, whoa.

01:00I realized the biggest thing when building this show was I realized my entire

01:0620s, like all my memories, all the photos that I took in were on my iPhone.

01:11And I was just like, and there's about like 80,000 photos in there.

01:16And I was just like, you got to be kidding me. And I was livid. And I realized how many, and I,

01:21selfies I took, and then I used selfies as a way as like to really analyze myself.

01:26I think it was, it builds a habit of journey of self-acceptance.

01:31So one, some of the collection of prints is Snap, which is basically the handheld phone and you're, and you're taking a photo.

01:40And it was mostly a reflection of those selfies,

01:43but realizing how much now the phone has so much power when you're documenting elements around the world and

01:50and moments in time and moments in culture. And it's got, it's kind of, it developed like an overwhelming presence.

01:57As well as I think there is an integration of the Polaroid,

02:00which is a reminder of how we should document and archive our work and like our memories as well.

02:06Because I, I just bought a Polaroid camera like a few weeks ago and realized I can't stop taking photos with the Polaroid because I

02:13realized those, they're becoming very significant memories that stay. And it has such a different attitude and energy as well.

02:21And then there's also the three ellipses that we see on our phones, which represent a form of patience. For me,

02:27it's like in my day, it just is like, oh, waiting for that guy or like that partner to text you back.

02:32And it's just like, oh, there's some, this, I want to know a reply, I need a reply kind of energy.

02:37But like, but it's also, it kind of turned into this form of headlights, these three dots.

02:42Like you're always being watched and you're like surveillance and it's like a mix.

02:47So it's like all, it's very layered within them. And that, and

02:51it's interesting how printmaking, my practice is, it's such a layered journey as well. Screen printing because you're always

02:59using layers to build up an image. And that, that's developed

03:04like this almost intertwined of how they almost relate to each other as like a form of patience and

03:11reflection as well.

03:12So there's like three rooms that are like kind of representing and it's kind of like my journey of maturing. As this entire exhibition is

03:19like a big self-portrait. I usually use myself as a vessel and

03:25like, and taking photos to understand myself. The room that we're in now is a

03:30recreation of my childhood bedroom, almost. The images within this room is like kind of a reflection of like

03:36today of the millennial with the phone and patience and call me and the Polaroid within that.

03:42So they're like, it's a familiarity of how people like install stuff in a room with the curtains in the front.

03:49This is a homage to

03:51Breonna Taylor who was

03:54unfortunately killed five years ago in her own bedroom in the States and

03:59realizing that we were the same, we're the same age. And

04:03in that kind of trauma, those like those feelings always come back because

04:08the black women are not really protected or supported at times.

04:12It's kind of a mix of all of those emotions intertwined but

04:16reminding yourself that this is supposed to be a place of solitude and a place of relaxation. And

04:22even though you may feel lonely at times like, you know, you have your foundation or space that can protect you. The red room

04:29it's kind of like that form of transformation in the in-between. Those are prints I made like

04:35early and they're called the Caress Series, which was like a sense of intimacy and embrace. It was like my

04:42understanding of what intimacy should feel like and how being held is a very,

04:48it's a luxury and also

04:51like in also a need sometimes. I'm doing a performance piece and it's basically

04:58how we

04:59like how we are in our rooms sometimes. So that's with the opening tomorrow.

05:04That's there's going to be a special one for the opening tomorrow. But then there's like pockets throughout the show.

05:09There's like I think two dates that I will be in and you'll probably see me live in action performing in a way like

05:17just how I am in my bedroom.

05:20So it's it's it's that it's that window of intimacy that borderline of intimacy, privacy,

05:27versus not. It's and also I think it's also it's

05:32just showing the various talents that I have as an artist that I think sometimes

05:37you don't, there's there's something beyond

05:41being a printmaker and like a performer because they're all layered and intertwined together.

05:50I'm very giddy. I'm very giddy about it. I squeal every time I walk in. I'm like, oh god

05:56this is happening. The best thing about it is it's

05:59it's my message and it's my space at this time and

06:03and

06:04to have that luxury to really give space to what you really want to say, that's a

06:10I'm very grateful for the Glasgow Print Studio to give me that opportunity.

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