Simone Elizabeth Saunders (b. 1983) is a Canadian textile artist whose practice weaves together heritage, history, and imagination to center the experiences and resilience of Black women. Working with punch needle and tufting techniques, Saunders constructs large-scale, immersive tapestries that merge technical mastery with poetic storytelling. Her work operates at the intersection of materiality, identity, and cultural memory, creating spaces in which narratives of strength, ancestry, and empowerment are visually and viscerally realized.

Saunders’ practice is organized across distinct yet interrelated bodies of work, each exploring facets of Black womanhood and collective memory. In Protect Black Women, the gaze becomes a central motif—a portal into the depth, complexity, and sovereignty of her subjects. Influenced by Art Nouveau’s elegance and ornamentation, Saunders adapts its intricate patterns and luminous surfaces to foreground Black femininity, creating compositions in which figures shimmer in gold and jewel-toned threads, evoking both celebration and reverence. These portraits invite viewers into intimate engagement, prompting reflection on stories, histories, and truths that often remain unseen.

In Ancestral Bodies, Saunders’ work becomes cosmic, rendering figures as ethereal, sentient presences. Tufted line-work traces the contours of bodies before they are filled with gold-flecked black thread, producing luminous constellations that link the living to the past. These tapestries act as vessels for ancestral memory, visually articulating the enduring influence of forebears and the spiritual continuity of Black lineage. Through this work, Saunders situates the individual within a universal narrative, connecting corporeal presence to cosmic energy and collective history.

Verchü and the Chronicles of the Unicorn reimagines the Renaissance allegory of the Hunt of the Unicorn through a contemporary lens. Saunders places a Black heroine at the center of this narrative, transforming the tale into a meditation on courage, resilience, and identity. Set amid tropical flora and fauna, the series replaces traditional symbols with affirmations of Black femininity, creating vibrant, fantastical landscapes that both honor and transform historical precedent. These works engage with the narrative, political, and allegorical power of myth, emphasizing empowerment while negotiating complex histories of representation.

Across all series, Saunders combines meticulous craft with conceptual depth, producing textiles that are simultaneously material, aesthetic, and narrative. Her work synthesizes the performative, historical, and fantastical, creating tapestries that assert presence, embody joy, and reclaim agency. Exhibited internationally at institutions

including the Art Gallery of Alberta, Textile Museum of Canada, Minneapolis Art Institute, the Mint Museum and ArtsWestchester. And with Claire Oliver Gallery at SCOPE, Expo Chicago, and 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in London, Saunders' work is recognized for its technical virtuosity, conceptual rigor, and unwavering celebration of Black womanhood.

Through her practice, Saunders demonstrates that textile can be both a medium of beauty and a vehicle for cultural reckoning. Each tapestry becomes a space for reflection, connection, and affirmation—a vibrant intersection where ancestry, identity, and imagination converge.