Sonya Clark Rooted and Uprooted, 2011 Rooted refers to the artist’s ability to trace her European ancestry back several generations, while Uprooted signifies her inability to do the same with her African ancestry, due to the disruption of lineage caused by the slave trade.
Sonya Clark Kente Comb Cloth, 2011
Rooted and Uprooted (diptych) Sonya Clark 2011, canvas and thread, 30” x 12” x 12”
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In this work, Clark takes
combs intended for straight European hair and fashions them into a cloth reminiscent of the royal cloth of the Asante people of West Africa. A dichotomous relationship is formed between the medium and the design, as the combs employ a material culture perspective that emphasizes beauty. Although the pattern is intended for beauty, it also bears symbolic significance; the Kente cloth is not merely a textile, but a visual representation of history, philosophy, ethics, oral literature, religion, and political thought. While the combs represent issues of hair culture and race politics in western society, the syncretic design of the textile reflects Clark’s desire “to strengthen the tether to [her] African heritage.” Through combining these distinct cultural symbols, she presents a double-coded view of beauty, as well as an image of cultural legacy.