Kailyn Tmya Bryant
Materials:
Oil paint, oil pastel, acrylic paint, sharpie, masking tape, and china marker on tar paper.
Dimensions:
96 x 36 in.
Description:
In Strange Fruit, the horizontal black line serves as a divider, symbolic of inequality and discrimination. The top portion of this work is white with red and blue stripes with three white stars and symbolizes the idea of American freedom. The 21 black stars below the divider represent the average number of Black citizens murdered (mostly by law enforcement) across the country every week, hence the white stars. Words from the 1954 poem and song performed by Billie Holiday, Strange Fruit, are embellished above the figure’s head, reminiscent of American lynchings. Lastly, the phrase, “I don’t want to be a strange fruit hanging”, noted at the foot of the piece acknowledges the most recent cluster of baselessly murdered Black people, creating an intense feeling and awareness that as a person of color, any one of us could be next; continuing the harvest of “strange fruit'' in America.
Available