Alanna Airitam, Weekend at Nana’s, 2019
Archival pigment print, 16” x 20”
Alanna Airitam
Weekend At Nana’s, 2019
Archival pigment print 16” x 20”
ABOUT THE ARTIST
“As a self-taught artist, art museums were my classrooms. The Renaissance painters and their masterful rendering of light became my first teachers and their works my inspiration to create art that celebrates Blackness - something that was painfully missing in the museum arena. When I committed to my artistic practice, portraiture became my voice. I vowed to create images that would counter the stereotypes perpetrated by systemic racism by presenting a more honest and balanced version of Black Identity: beautiful, powerful individuals and families who belonged.
As my confidence grew I invited friends to sit for portraits. Together we would select clothing and fabrics from which to depict a new history, one that harkens the Dutch Masters while honoring the Harlem Renaissance, personified by Black men, women and children of today. The individuals, my sets and compositions are captured in their portraits. This act of reawakening and reconfirming value in one’s self-identity helped me resist the despondency I was experiencing from the increasing number of violent acts against the Black community in America. My lifelong contemplation of history, human relationships, social justice, spirituality and the natural world is the foundation for my work. My commitment to presenting a positive Black history and celebrating Blackness in America today grows stronger with each project.”
-Alanna Airitam