Family Portrait Print

This piece addresses the connection between African and African American beauty traditions. The African ancestor has horns which symbolize the culture of zoomorphic face masks in Africa. The ancestor also has scars on her left cheek which represent the tradition of scarification for tribal marks in Ghanaian culture. The girl’s braided hair relates to the origin of hair braiding in Africa. They form the roots of the piece as they fly out of the frame in different directions.