WAIT A MINUTE?!! Christian Noelle Charles

WAIT A MINUTE is a reflection piece answering the question: When did you reach your place of solitude? This exhibition explores the tension between isolation and solitude, questioning how these experiences shape the layered understanding of being a Black Woman in today’s world. In a time of instant communication and digital immediacy, solitude can feel both like a refuge and a confrontation—a space to process, unravel, and rebuild.

Through a collection of self-portraiture expanded over the last two years, this body of work navigates themes of validation, intimacy, and acceptance. The self-portraits document the shifting relationship with the self, examining how solitude allows for both self-affirmation and self-interrogation. The exhibition space is designed to reflect this internal dialogue, inviting viewers to move through layered prints, fragmented compositions, and objects that blur the line between private reflection and public display.

The layout of the exhibition mirrors the psychological journey of solitude. Upon entering, viewers 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. Colors overlap, blur, and obscure, much like memory and emotion. The recurring motif of a phone screen with three blinking dots punctuates the space, symbolizing the anticipation of communication—the endless waiting, the desire for response, the contrast between connection and detachment.

At the heart of the exhibition, an intimate installation recreates the essence of a bedroom—a personal sanctuary where solitude is most deeply felt. Found objects, scattered furniture, and layered prints lean against the walls, mimicking the impulsive, chaotic energy of adolescence. The bedroom, as a transitional space, holds remnants of the past—not as nostalgia, but as a reminder of a time when decisions felt infinite and consequence was a distant thought. This installation invites viewers to sit with their own experiences of solitude, where comfort and restlessness coexist.

As viewers navigate the space, they encounter shifts in scale and focus, reflecting the evolving nature of solitude. In smaller, intimate print clusters, the layering becomes more restrained, allowing for moments of stillness. These quieter works contrast with the larger, more expressive prints, reinforcing the push and pull between internal reflection and external noise. The interplay between scale, texture, and placement asks viewers to reconsider their relationship with solitude—to acknowledge both its discomfort and its clarity.

The pandemic further redefined our understanding of being alone, making solitude a forced reality rather than a chosen retreat. WAIT A MINUTE reflects on this shift, recognizing that every day is a test of patience, a negotiation between urgency and stillness. This exhibition does not offer easy resolutions but instead holds space for contemplation.

Through prints, self-portraits, and immersive installations, WAIT A MINUTE invites viewers to engage with solitude not as absence, but as presence. It asks: How do we sit with ourselves? What do we find in the stillness? By stepping into this layered environment, viewers are encouraged to pause—to witness, to wait, and to embrace the complexities of solitude as an ongoing journey.