Ute Petit

Utē Petit (born 1995, Southfield) is a New Orleans-based artist whose work explores Black-Indigenous land-based traditions and the creation of 'Ailanthaland. Quotes Ailantha is a Maroon republic of heavenly beings committed to life. Following the stewardship of displaced African and Indigenous peoples in the western hemisphere, I seek to generate imagery that represents such a land. Such a people. About Utē Petit, 2025 I work ancestrally inheriting my grandmother’s roles as quilters, educators, and farmers. I grew up spending time with my grandparents in Mississippi, and part of my childhood visiting farms in Japan. I'm growing toward integrating my artistic practice with my love for farming. I’ve returned to New Orleans to answer this, where I am stewarding my Great Grandmother's, and three neighbors lots in hope to rematriate this land under my care. Ive been led to the creation of the young and ancient nation I call “Ailantha.” Named after the “Ghetto Palm” or “Tree of Heaven,” the Ailanthus Altissima tree is a most beautiful being  indigenous to China. With the ability to clone itself when threatened, it can be found growing in any condition, on roofs, in toxic soils, in forests, with great rigor. Similarly displaced from her roots, the Tree of Heaven is cousin to the story of Black folks of the "western" hemisphere. In honor of this history I wonder what it might means to be a citizen in a nation, family, full of heavenly beings. Artist2Artist Fellowship, 2023 I like to see if this material will survive being put through a sewing machine. IF THERE WAS A WAY I COULD LAY ALL THE TRASH OUT, Utē Petit, Emma Soucek, 2020 External Links Category:Artists Category:1995 births Category:Living people