top of page

Informing Contexts – Considering Other Artists – Wangechi Mutu

Writer's picture: Jo SutherstJo Sutherst

For sometime now I have been aware of the work of Wangechi Mutu. Born in Nairobi, Kenya, she uses allegory to construct imagery using various mediums including collage, translucent materials, photographs, drawing and illustrations.  Her work focuses on sexuality, colonialism and girl culture.  Her sources include Vogue and other fashion magazines.  She uses fashion poses in her work that are tweaked and distorted just enough to make you wonder where they came from and if they are real or chimeras of animals and humans.


Her work has a message too.  She wants to raise awareness of how the black female body has been violated and revered by Europeans.  Black female bodies have been seen as sexual machines or work animals.  Very often their bodies were objectified as an excuse for cruelty and inhuman practices.


There has also been an absence of black models and figures in fashion magazines and contemporary art for some time.  Mutu has been working on changing that.


Figure 1:  Wangechimutu.com, 2017


My intent is to create work that is influenced by Mutu but is produced using a photographic process.

REFERENCES

Figure 1: All images FROM: Wangechimutu.com. (2017). Wangechi Mutu. [online] Available at: http://wangechimutu.com/ [Accessed 25 January 2017].


1 view0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Informing Contexts – The Viewer

“Every viewer is going to get a different thing. That’s the thing about painting, photography, cinema.” – David Lynch REFERENCE Lynch, D....

Informing Contexts – Portfolio Choices

The final choices and decisions made for my work in progress portfolio are presented below. Figure 1: Sutherst 2017 My portfolio (figure...

Informing Contexts – Next Steps

Having resolved this body of work, I am off in a slightly different direction as the next module begins. Picking up on comments made when...

Comments


Post: Blog2_Post

©2022 by Jo Sutherst. Proudly created with Wix.com

bottom of page