WANGARI MATHENGE – PERSPECTIVES
2022-10-03The Kenya-born artist creates powerful paintings confronting issues regarding the visibility of the black female in the context of both the traditional African patriarchal society and the Diaspora.
In her work, Mathenge uses loose, expressive, bright saturated brushstrokes to present intimate images of figures in domestic spaces. Her subjects, mostly women, are surrounded by everyday objects that act as markers of time, location, and culture. The canvases display images of the artist herself and relatives in poses of relax or contemplation, evoking a sense of leisure and yet also defiance: they are captured in ordinary moments, often gazing at the viewer with great self-possession, sprawled across the sofa and lost in thought. Family pictures pinpoint individual narratives, while the brightly patterned East African kanga fabric and the recurring statuette of a Masai celebrate a wider inheritance.
Opposite – They Said He Was A Dandy But What Do I Know Of A Jogging Daddy I, 2022
Exhibition runs through to November 26th, 2022
Monica De Cardenas
Via Francesco Viganò 4
20124 Milan
Italy
