Sancho Smalls

Christopher “Sancho” Smalls grew up on St. Helena Island, SC, surrounded by the rich Gullah culture and coastal art. Growing up in this environment, Chris appreciated the intimacy and instinctual beauty of visual art. He worked in various mediums such as painting, drawing, and mixed media, never limiting himself to one vein of creation.

In 2014, Chris received his Bachelor's in Fine Arts, concentrating in Jewelry/Metals, from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC. During his time there, his visual interests intersected with fashion and computer-aided design, which expanded his visual vocabulary. Chris worked in sculpture, textiles, and ceramics, which fed into his creativity. Jewelry held the most value for him, as it has the ability to have familial value through storytelling and inheritance.

Now living in Charlotte, NC, Christopher primarily uses photography as his tool to tell stories. Photography encapsulates all the mediums he has used over the years as an artist through color, composition, and the creation of the elements included in the image. In his photography, Christopher draws inspiration from fashion and culture to create empowering imagery that predominantly features minority subjects.

In every piece Christopher creates, he hopes to find himself within the process, and through the presentation of the resulting work, he presents art as a process as much as a final product. In 2019, Christopher adopted the moniker "Sancho Smalls," the name of his 4th great-grandfather. For him, the name represents the importance of his ancestry, an acknowledgment of life's journey, and a commitment to his evolving future as an artist.

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