Sadie Barnette

LOS ANGELES, CA — Propped gracefully on the edge of the sleek wooden bench in the middle of a gallery off the main lobby of San Diego’s Museum of Contemporary Art, Sadie Barnette surveys her surroundings. It is clear upon meeting her that she is a woman on the cusp of becoming an absolute powerhouse. At first glance, she comes across as educated, strong and self-assured, although there are hints of reserve and leftover adolescent shyness in her demeanor. Her voice is clear and concise, both in tone and cadence. That voice is mirrored in her artwork adorning the walls that surround us.

Slim and refined, with a keen sense of style, she clearly knows herself. Her chunky, futuristic, monotone shoes, recently purchased on a trip to Paris with her parents, are a topic of conversation with all who approach her. Her curly, raven hair is parted crisply in the middle and pulled back into a low, elegant ponytail. Conservative yet edgy, her outfit tonight is reminiscent of a more streamlined and chic version of Frida Kahlo, exuding sophistication, self-confidence, style and strength.

Within the hour, friends, family, and art lovers alike will descend into the gallery to discover and celebrate the success of her current exhibition, Dear 1968…, an ongoing series in which she utilizes the documents from the 500+ page surveillance file the FBI amassed on her father, which she and her family were able to acquire thanks to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Sadie’s father Rodney Barnette was a decorated Vietnam veteran, and co-founder of the Compton chapter of the Black Panthers; and the exhibit shares his story through his daughter’s eyes. The officious documents are splattered with pink and black spray paint, evoking the feeling of the 80s, the decade in which Sadie was born. On the wall, 28 of the most telling documents are mounted on hot-pink lucite and bedazzled with colorful plastic crystals. They mark important details, and perfectly capture the rigid dichotomy of the situation: a child idealizing her father as a hero, while his government viewed him as an extremist and terrorist for his community activism.

In a corner of the room, on a low pedestal, sits a miniature doll-sized version of the rattan peacock wicker chair made iconic by the portrait of Black Panther founder Huey Newton. The mini chair is adorned with a single-serving-size bag of Hello Kitty Cotton Candy.“I’m interested in Hello Kitty for a few reasons,” Sadie explains. “For one, it’s a perfect graphic design project. She never goes out of style and always looks completely contemporary. I also love how people use Hello Kitty to tell you about themselves. It’s an unnecessary decoration that celebrates adornment and presentation.

I love how people use these tiny tools of identity construction, like over-the-top glitter manicures and gold costume jewelry that’s less about monetary wealth and more about the act of shining.”

Clearly this sentiment travels. When Beyoncé and Jay-Z, who are patrons of Sadie’s work, left her exhibition “Compland” in New York City last September, their bodyguard was photographed following closely behind, grasping a bag of gifted Hello Kitty cotton candy in his hand.

Growing up in Oakland, CA, success in the art world was the furthest thing from Sadie’s mind. Being raised by a single mother in a school system that was both underfunded and underperforming, Sadie simply stopped going until her mother caught wind and enrolled her in an independent study program. “It was for kids who are professional athletes or pregnant or for whatever reason the system was not working for them. That campus had a darkroom, so I ended up printing photographs eight hours a day just so that I didn’t have to go to class.”

The skills that Sadie learned there, combined with the invaluable mentorship of Sarah Crowell, the Artistic Director at Destiny Art Center in Oakland, gave her the foundation she needed to take that next all-important step.

“My friends were applying to colleges, so I applied to CalArts. I had no idea it was one of the most prestigious art schools in the country. I had no idea about the art world or how expansive an art practice could be. It was the only school I applied to.”

And, so, the trajectory of Sadie’s life was altered. She went on to get her Masters from UC San Diego and be awarded a number of coveted residencies around the globe.

“Residencies provide the time and space dedicated to your thinking and your process. Sometimes that can be scary. It’s a rabbit hole that you can spiral down, but if you can be easy on yourself, it can be a beautiful thing. My last residency was in the South of France with composers, literary scholars, and artists from other disciplines. It’s always nice to get out of my own environment but still test using my lens and my authorship. I see my work as a way of seeing rather than a way of making.”

Sadie’s success has been all but cemented, yet when asked what she wants others to know about her, she immediately jumped at the chance to expose her soft underbelly. She often struggles with anxiety and depression and thinks it’s now okay for people to know that.

“I try pretty hard to make it seem like I have my life together, because I’m not one of those people who likes to fall apart on the internet or write two-paragraph-long emotional posts. But it’s been really challenging for me to believe in myself and believe in my voice, and to make a space that I can step into. I want people to know that it’s not easy, so that they can do things that are not easy as well. There have been times when every day, getting out of bed has been a struggle. There is a power in looking like you have your shit together but it’s also important to let people know about the cracks.”

It is this type of realness and truth that makes her work so exceptional. Sadie is not afraid to lift the cover and shine the light into the darkness. She is not afraid to raise questions and start conversations. This is what her work is about. She invites the viewer to be part of the dialog. Her work does not propose to have all the answers. Instead, it’s about leaving space to continue the discussion.

“A friend recently asked me, ‘Don’t you want as many people as possible to see your work?’ and I thought, well maybe not, necessarily. It doesn’t have to be as wide-reaching as possible. I’d rather have a dedicated group of viewers who come in and out, who see the work change and understand how the different elements of it connect. I’d like to be in community with viewers, collectors, artists, and writers who are invested in connecting all the dots and watching the work grow over time—that would be the ultimate.” Sadie now lives and works in Oakland and Compton, California.

When asked to share her advice for young artists looking for motivation o r guidance, she replies, “The scary and amazing thing about life is that you can always start over. I’m constantly starting over all day. Like, I didn’t treat this day the way I’d intended. I guess I’ll just take a deep breath and start over.”

As for her plans about future projects, she says “I’m afraid to say. I don’t want to jinx it. I just know that I have not reached my pinnacle. Or if you want to use Beyoncé language, this is not my ‘Formation.’ This is not my ‘Lemonade.’ But maybe I’m working on my dope moment too.”

— Written by Heidi Miller
— Photography by Milana Burdette
— Featuring horse Pauline from the Imperial Equestrian Center
— First published in [ Issue 2 ]