Note to Our Higher Selves
Santana is a textile artist as well as a printmaker. In her work, she combines these practices and incorporates archival materials such as photographs and old documents to reference celebrated artists like the Cuban printmaker Belkis Ayón (1967–1999). Santana was drawn to Ayón’s use of collagraphy and the various textural effects associated with the technique. Here, Santana uses a picture from the 1950s of two girls, the artist’s mother and aunt, shown laughing. Behind them are their silhouettes, evoking the shadow of influence the young girls would later cast. By showing links with family and history, Santana creates what she described as "a dialogue between past and present with images of loved ones."
Artwork Details
- Title: Note to Our Higher Selves
- Series/Portfolio: Black Women of Print
- Artist: Stephanie Santana (American, born 1984)
- Date: 2019
- Medium: Screenprint
- Dimensions: 11 × 15 in. (27.9 × 38.1 cm)
- Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: John B. Turner Fund, 2021
- Object Number: 2021.53.5
- Rights and Reproduction: © 2019 Stephanie Santana
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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