“It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity.
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Interweaving autobiography with history, this selection of portraits explores code-switching through the lens of the contemporary African-American woman. The works act as visual commentary on the topic of social capital and imposed identity in the home-place as it relates to assimilation tactics learned from black female media representations of the past into modern day society. The work considers the dilemma of these inherent tools of preservation prescribed to black women to navigate the complex demands of double-consciousness. By selectively employing fiction and truth the work invites the viewer to contemplate notions of race, sex, class, selfhood, and survival. African-American women learn to perfect the art of code-switching to flourish in society. Ain't I A Woman 2017 exposes the continuous marginalization of African-American women through the use of sound and portraiture.
