Art Gallery
‘WATER CARRIERS’ PROJECT.
SANDRA WHYLES
Globally women’s role has been seen as that of carers, nurturers and healers. In the ‘Water Carriers’ I have attempted to juxtapose, at the same time counteracting the negative legacy and memory of the Maafa, by placing side by side the African woman, water and clay vessel next to a symbol of the Maafa on British soil.
Portrait photography can be complex and full of ambiguity and uncertainty. The interaction at play throught the process; the sitter and teh photographer; theimage and the viewer all bring their own political and cultural realities. Interpretation depends on ones own realities.
Fredrick Douglas (b.1818 - 1895) wrote:
‘Negroes can never have impartial portraits at tehhands of white Artists. It seems to us next to impossible for white man to take likeness of Black men, without most grosslly exaggerating their distinctive features. And the reason is obvious. Artist, like all other White persons have delveloped a theory dissecting the distinctive featres of Negro physiognomy’ (Willis 2000: pgxvii)
The women chosen to be part of the project were women I knew personally either as friends or family. They were also women who are identified as individuals who play significant roles in the community by being mentors and nurturers, bringing knowledge, through the lens of an African centred vision. Despite being of different religious backgrounds - Rastarfarian, Muslim, Christian, Shango or even a combination of all these- their philosphy is Afrilogical. They are keeping the Universal African Spirit alive in a time of materialism, capitalism and all the issues that 21st century living brings with it.
‘Fosuwa’ - Water Carriers Series. 2008. Digital image
‘Daneill’ - Water Carriers Series. 2008. Digital image
‘Khadijah’ - Water Carriers Series. 2007. Digital image
‘Makeda’ - Water Carriers Series. 2008. Digital image
‘Musufing’ - Water Carriers Series. 2008. Digital image
‘Paulette’ - Water Carriers Series. 2008
‘Marcia’ -Water Carriers Series. 2008
Digital image
‘Pauline’ - Water Carriers Series. 2008
Digital image
‘Amina’ - Water carriers Series. 2008
‘BLUE AND WHITE’ PROJECT
SANDRA WHYLES
Ceramicist have used the ceramic form as a platform and medium to portray political, cultural and social messages. This can be seen in every day popular culture. This is of course not new; in 1786 Wedgwood an abolitionist prouced a series of of anti slavery ware including a medaliion of a kneeling enslaved African with the quote ‘Am I not a man and your Brother?’
In the ‘Blue and White’ project I am making statements about modernism ina similar way to artist such as grayson Parry and Michelle Erikson. Making recognisable ware that seems inoccuous on first inspection but is actually carrying a more serious and sinister narrative.
Thoedor Adorno - ‘The Negative Dialectic’ ‘The idealised face of modernity - progress, enlightenment, freedom, democracy and nationality - masked a terrifying capacity for inhumanity, violence and exploitation, mass murder and genocides’ (Pollock 1999, pg 172)
The above images show factory made white earthenware with blue ongalze enamel screen printed on to transfer paper. These depict the horrors of the Maafa. You can ony see if you look properly
Below are red earthen ware hand built platters with blue and white transfered images. The African images and pictograms act as a reclaiming of legacy and memory. This is an attempt to tell our own stories.
The hand made artist books (6 copies) entitled ‘Blue and White’ have brought the themes of the ‘Blue and White’ project together. The images and text have been re-produced, re-appropriated and assembled as layers through the screen printing process. Layers of resistance tooppression and the fight for physical, mental and cultural freedom.
