Osinachi

The background has four states. The first state is named "self-love", as represented by the color pink. The second state, “history”, serves to represent the writing and rewriting of the stories of racial oppression that has dogged BIPOC across various countries. The third state, “Sea” is a reference to Igbo Landing where captive Igbo people died by suicide instead of submitting to slavery in 1803. The fourth state titled “Stain” represents the obfuscation of BIPOC history in some quarters.

buzzlightning

Background

The pedestals represent the four countries that most Nigerians have mentioned in stories about racism. The first state is the US, the second is the UK, the third is China and the fourth is India.

Pedestal

Mansa Musa

The subject of the piece, a black man, is an epitome of the effects of racism. He carries the experiences of black people and other people of color. His first state is the man’s original identity. Politically, this identity can align with the left (second state) or with the right (third state), or even with none of the aforementioned (fourth state).

Black Man

The African-print bandana serves to highlight the subject’s connection to Africa, which is where most slaves were taken from. The bandana is in four states, which make reference to the elements of astrology – water, earth, air and fire. Just as these elements are believed to form the natural world, the bandana forms the subject’s origin.

MaximoNx

Bandana

The tapes represent the negative stereotypes that often dog the black body. For most racists, the black body can only be described as riddled with crime.

Tapes

Since the killing of George Floyd, major protests have rocked the US and some parts of the world, boosting conversations around race, racism and racial inequalities. Black, Indigenous, People of Color have raised their voices to highlight the systemic racism that has not only kept them down but has also led to countless and avoidable killings by law enforcement.

"My Body, My Crime" is a documentation of this social phenomenon.

My Body, My Crime

Layers for "My Body, My Crime"