Collage on glass with vintage frame; vintage magazine images, synthetic hair, hair pick, roller

 Layering of standards, expectations, and aesthetics placed on black women and femmes. 

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Figures from vintage beauty & hair advertisements (Ebony magazine) / these ads typically promote limiting, homogeneous expressions of gender.

A few figures are from a vintage erotic calendar advertisement (Ebony magazine) /this ad was seemingly crafted for the male heterosexual cisgender gaze. 

A horse and mule advertisement / alluding to histories and expectations of black women and femme labor. 

Wash basin & pitcher / belonging to my maternal great aunt Sarah, a beloved ancestor who lived and performed domestic labor in Gaston County, NC in the 1950s. She did not have children; I am often curious about her agency.

An exploration of subversion / this artwork challenges and highlights the complexity and nuance in how black women and femmes navigate gender expression, identity, and agency. 

This is a cleansing ritual / washing the wounds caused by the expectations of Western society, patriarchy, and misogyny; a return to ourselves.