“BLACK ON BOTH SIDES”:
A racial Contemporary on black identity
Each painting covers what used to be a completely different work of art. “Black on both sides.” took work that held its own concept, context, & colors and Identity. And covers it with a black to make it essentially a “Black Square” While studying abstract expressionism (I.e. action painting) over the summer, I have reinforced my love of being Black. The extent of this love became so prevalent, I felt the urge to repaint, redraw, and even submerge my work with black paint. “I felt an overwhelming sense of sacrifice while (carrying out these actions/redesigning/creating etc.) as I was giving up something I’d worked for. A lot of time, money, and emotion went into those works, however I chose to negate those feelings. The beauty of something which is painted, but is somehow still blank as well shows the disregard for the potential the previous piece held. In my mind, drawing a comparison of being Black is looked as beautiful, admired, and to me is often fetishized in American culture, until it no longer fits the narrative or can no longer be of service. All while, the culture is still alluring as it ever was.
