“Sis, Oh, Sis” is a series created from reflecting on moments of being non-verbal, young and at my most vulnerable age. In moments when I really needed help or desired to be seen, I relied on my body language to communicate. Being in a family with strained relationships, favoritism and being the daughter of one of two unloved daughters (they're twins), my calls for help and guidance often went unanswered.
I use flower barrettes as the symbol of my experiences as a Black Grrrl, in and of my grrhood through to my current experiences as a Black woman. Here, I use components of the barrettes as symbols of the international Morse code system. These messages were made under pressure to emboss into the paper, much like the pressure I felt as a young grrrl to be obedient and polite, which weren’t always in my best interests, the white of the printmaking paper lends itself to the ghostly impermanence I felt as someone to never be heard and rarely seen at such a young age.
My silence, where l often sought comfort in, also fostered opportunities to be neglected, abused and betrayed, which frayed my sense of trust, safety and Self, which I still am seeking to this day. I feel immense pride in the fact I am able to articulate how I felt for so many years in this series and I hope to be able to print more lengthy messages in the future.
“Sis, Oh, Sis”, a series where components of flower barrettes make up the dots and dashes of the international Morse code, expressing signals from my Black grrrlhood I couldn’t express verbally as an autisitic selective mute.
#misu #misuturaseyeful #blackart #barrettes #blackgrrlhood #chicago #contemporaryart #blackcontemporaryart #interdisciplinary #austistic #neurodivergent #aspergers #mentalhealthmatters #fyp #printmaking #blindembossing
I use flower barrettes as the symbol of my experiences as a Black Grrrl, in and of my grrhood through to my current experiences as a Black woman. Here, I use components of the barrettes as symbols of the international Morse code system. These messages were made under pressure to emboss into the paper, much like the pressure I felt as a young grrrl to be obedient and polite, which weren’t always in my best interests, the white of the printmaking paper lends itself to the ghostly impermanence I felt as someone to never be heard and rarely seen at such a young age.
My silence, where l often sought comfort in, also fostered opportunities to be neglected, abused and betrayed, which frayed my sense of trust, safety and Self, which I still am seeking to this day. I feel immense pride in the fact I am able to articulate how I felt for so many years in this series and I hope to be able to print more lengthy messages in the future.
“Sis, Oh, Sis”, a series where components of flower barrettes make up the dots and dashes of the international Morse code, expressing signals from my Black grrrlhood I couldn’t express verbally as an autisitic selective mute.
#misu #misuturaseyeful #blackart #barrettes #blackgrrlhood #chicago #contemporaryart #blackcontemporaryart #interdisciplinary #austistic #neurodivergent #aspergers #mentalhealthmatters #fyp #printmaking #blindembossing
