MIRROR SERIES, 2021
Mirror is a seminude series in response to stereotypes around black women’s bodies, sexual harassment and feminism, in application to any typical African society or setting. This series could also be seen as a celebration, a way to honour the journey of the black woman to self-confidence and its shortcomings. Because the artist fully believes that these pieces of ourselves exist as tools for expression and connection and not only flaws to be overcome. In another broader sense, it could also be seen as a contribution to the recent ‘Black Lives Matter” movement against racial injustices.
Creating mixed media studies of a muscular female subject in different half squat poses, she uses her strong black body physique to emphasize strength and boldness. She also combines the mask, unusual hair style, black skin colour and fashion to highlight her confidence, at the same time some of her daily struggles as a young black woman; which include anxiety, self-confidence and insecurities. This whole concept was drawn from the artist’s real-life experiences and specific case studies in Kenyan or African societies in general.
By incorporating masks in some of the pieces, the artist is not only hinting the current Covid-19 global pandemic; and its safety measures but she’s also giving the viewer the freedom to superimpose their own person because without a full face, the subject could be any black woman ‘admiring herself in the mirror’, with her arms at rest, a dramatic gaze and a kind of calmness. This is in contrast to the bold blues, browns, curves and lines that form her hair and body. The artist particularly likes the blue because it's the color of water, mostly associated with healing. In this case it’s to appreciate the beauty of the black woman and to champion for each and every woman to be comfortable in their own body regardless of what society thinks.
Originally created: 2021
Subject: Women
Material: Paper
Medium: Watercolour
Styles: Figurative, Realism, Expressionism, Minimalism
