Miscegenated Family Album (Sisters IV), L: Devonia's sister, Lorraine; R: Nefertiti's sister, Mutnedjmet, 1980/1994
Lorraine O'Gradyexpand_more
Cibachrome printsexpand_more
The Sharon and Bill Richardson Endowment for Art Acquisition and the Larey E. Lindberg and Larey Swanson Endowment for Art Acquisitionexpand_more 2021.21.4a,b
Not on Viewexpand_more
Drawn from her broader series titled “Miscegenated Family Album,” a project consisting of 16 diptychs in total, these four diptychs present a set of contrasts across time and media. Lorraine O’Grady’s “Sisters” makes a concise visual and intellectual case for Black self-identification across historical and geographical boundaries, elegantly elucidating the concept of Diasporic identity in discrete pairings. Through the juxtaposition of four ancient Egyptian busts (of female royalty) with re-photographed portraits of female members of O’Grady’s own 20th century American family (and herself), the artist imagines a case for the aristocratic lineage of the latter. Wordlessly inferring—and thereby conferring—the magisterial power of Nefertiti, her daughters, and her sister unto her own sister Devonia, her nieces, and herself, O’Grady collapses time to elevate the present.
Details
- Title
- Miscegenated Family Album (Sisters IV), L: Devonia's sister, Lorraine; R: Nefertiti's sister, Mutnedjmet
- Artist Life
- born 1934
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2021.21.4a,b
- Curator Approved
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