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Tiff Massey — MFA (Metalsmithing, 2011)

Tiff Massey is an interdisciplinary artist born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. She holds an MFA in metalsmithing from Cranbrook Academy of Art. Her work, inspired by African standards of economic vitality, includes both large-scale and wearable sculptures, music and performance. Massey counts the iconic material culture of 1980’s hip-hop as a major influence in her jewelry. She uses contemporary observances of class and race through the lens of an African diaspora, combined with inspiration drawn from her experience in Detroit.

In creating pieces meant to be worn as well as large-scale jewelry and interactive works, she involves the viewer in the experience, bringing about dialogues of space, the body, and racial and gender politics. For Studio Editions, Tiff Massey has created White Out, You In (red), an edition of 10 screen-printed mirrors framed in gold. By employing a mirror, Tiff Massey forces the viewer to examine his or herself in the work. Says Tiff Massey: “[the viewers] are a part of [the art] because their reflection is actually in it.” Using physical material to address the interpersonal, this mixed media work introduces an intamately direct connection between itself and the viewer.