Blackhead

"Blackhead" represents the brutality of Black history and its enduring presence. It illustrates decades of oppression, suppressed rage, and intergenerational trauma.

This painting carries both the past and the present within it.

The Past:

The head, shaped like an African mask, embodies in its massive black form the brutality that overshadows the colorful background, symbolizing the often overlooked Black history.

The deep black surface, the bared teeth, and the dripping saliva are meant to symbolize the stigma imposed by colonial powers. These powers labeled Black people as wild, primitive natives, thereby dehumanizing them.

The Present:

Here, it represents the immense strength of Black people. The clenched teeth and saliva symbolize suppressed rage and unspoken words and actions. The serious gaze to the left, against the current, points to a reflection on the past, forced to relive suffering thought to be long gone.

Yet, despite all the rage, injustice, and oppression, behind it all, one finds colors, joy, and pride.