Self Portrait

Oil on paper

A selfie is a small window in time that captures your true self and personality in that quick moment. Some people view selfies as a vain and frivolous activity but I view selfies as a tool for showing self-love. From knowing your best angles to taking advantage of good lighting, taking the “perfect” selfie is an art. Artists created self-portraits for centuries, the only difference is now we use a camera phone instead of a paintbrush. For this piece, I decided to bring both worlds together.

I wanted to take part of my culture that can express who I am and also what I love to do. Headwraps are beautiful integrated patterns and illustrations with rich colors that can be seen as art, but women from the Yoruba culture often wear them with their traditional attire. Even down to how the headwrap is tied is a way for one to express themselves. Wearing it ties me back to who I am and reminds me of where I came from. Making this painted selfie tells a whole life long story about me even though it was taken in a second.

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