“I wanted to create a world in which we were liberated and, you know, free to show up fully as ourselves. But also, I kind of wanted to do something for myself with this. So, I wanted to have this high fantasy influence in it. Because that’s been like, something that I’ve been looking at lately, these classically fantasy artists, and the thing about that kind of art is that black people are never in it, you know, it’s like a world in which we don’t exist. So I wanted to take up space in that kind of realm and inject myself into this space that I didn’t belong in.”
Noah Lawrence-Holder’s The Table is Set is a digital illustration that depicts three black subjects walking through an open field. On the ground, snow melts beneath them, and flowers begin to bloom, signaling the change of seasons from the dead of winter to the new life of spring.
Every element of this piece suggests radical optimism, the broadcast of a positive future for black and queer people. The sky behind them is warm and vibrant, suggestive of a sunrise, which only furthers this theme of renewal. The three subjects are posed as if on a runway. Their stances are powerful and self-assured, comfortable in this new future towards which they walk.
Also of note is the use of color in depicting skin. First, like every other component of the work, the skin is flat in color. Only a minimal amount of stylized shading exists to add depth. This helps highlight the color that was chosen, which is a dark brown, somewhat desaturated to contrast from the bright and saturated surroundings. The skin tone, and the notions of identity that come with, are made incredibly prominent here. Lawrence-Holder’s other piece, The Door is Open employs this same effect, to the same end.
References
Noah Lawrence-Holder, interviewed by Samuel Fletcher, March 3, 2022.
