I chose to dedicate my first exhibition to Nina Simone, a woman who has a fairly layered life, which I feel can be felt in her music. She portrays a depth in her music that takes you on a raw journey of feeling, and through her ease of delivery she manages to express some of the most complex feelings and topics, with the layers of love being at the center of her music.
As well as love, Nina epitomizes signs of the time, and can transport you back into events that helped shape the cultural progress we enjoy through artists such as Basquiat, Chris Ofili and Faith Ringgold to name a few, and countless musicians that testify to her influence.
My exhibition combines my love of music, creativity, and art with Nina, and I'd like to share this with you.
A little more about the process…
My work is mixed media, based on lino printing, but I work in layers to create a finished piece. Each art piece is made up off layers, and the base layer of most prints carry the same four key components, that I feel make up the gravitas of who Nina is.
Layer 1
A profile portrait of Nina taken by Gilles Petard, which shows the cultural significance black people’s hair has played in their history. Their native crown.
Layer 2
The next layer is the African Dashiki, a garment that became popular during the 1960s during the Civil Rights Movement. Political groups and leaders proudly showcased their Dashikis to show homage to their heritage and culture.
Layer 3
A ring of interlocking stripes which plays homage places Nina lived and called home; North Carolina where she was born, Liberia during her cultural hiatus, Nijmegen for a rest bite and Côte d'Azur where she died.
Layer 4
The final ring represents is a wreath for her death, it’s made up of flowers from each place she lived and called home.
I used these layers in each of Nina’s portraits as I wanted to make sure the essence of Nina was present, and the combined with my interpretation of her music. So take a tour through my visualizations of Nina’s feelings. Hear the words, get to know the woman and get to know yourself.
