In this piece we see a woman, augmented by robotic elements and robed in a brightly-patterned dress, stepping through waves and blowing abstract clouds.
Richard Powell writes that this “part cyborg, part black woman” is “an idiosyncratic, active entity, unconstrained by cultural norms and boundaries, yet at ease in her own skin.”
The piece probes questions of black identity, of femininity, of queer identity, and even of transhumanism.
From Ronin Gallery: “Trapped at sea by the Minamoto fleet, Tomomori, a general from Heike clan, threw himself overboard rather than be captured alive. Here, Tomomori returns as a spectre to revenge his own death. His vengeful spirit glides atop churning waves as he defiantly raises his spear at the raging sea. “
Brown’s piece borrows defiance, a refusal to remain beholden to oppressors, applying these elements to the collage of identities that she depicts here. Yet despite the struggle and the conflict noted here, she is remarkably, as Powell puts it, “at ease.”
References
Powell, Richard J. 2021. Black Art: A Cultural History. N.p.: Thames and Hudson.
“The Ghost of Tomomori Appearing at Daimotsu Bay.” n.d. Ronin Gallery. Accessed April 22, 2022. https://www.roningallery.com/the-ghost-of-tomomori-appearing-at-daimotsu-bay.
