South Shore artist confronts racial stereotypes
Self-portraits make up There is No One Story of Black Girlhood collection
African Nova Scotian artist Rebecca Simone Fisk of Mahone Bay, focused her creative efforts on self-portraits during the pandemic when models were unavailable due to health restrictions.
That time was well spent, according to art enthusiasts who have been moved and challenged by Fisk’s collection of more than 10 self-portraits called There is No One Story of Black Girlhood.
The title for the series came from her master’s thesis and the title of a book by the author bell hooks.
Fisk creatively and unapologetically depicts herself in grayscale in the paintings. Her posture and attitude are arresting because of her neardirect eye contact with the viewer. She appears in stark contrast to richly coloured objects she uses to illustrate her ideas about themes and images around food as a racial signifier.
The ideas and themes are often expressed in tropes such as associating Black people with watermelon and fried chicken.
“Food and racial stereotypes are common, and I have been affected by them,” Fisk said, “which has led to the initial stages of my research for there is no one story of Black girlhood.”
“It started off I was just making a joke. I had seen a comic book associating black folk with watermelon,” Fisk said.
“I thought, I am going to go with this and create an image that is going to reclaim the idea of using food as a racial signifier. So, I went out and bought some friend chicken and I think that was my first painting.”
Fisk said her presentation of herself in the self-portraits was also inspired by reflecting on the tumultuous racial politics emanating from the US.
“People feel it’s now okay or like they are being given permission to be racist whatever arena they are in,” said Fisk.
While creating the series,
Fisk reached back to experiences and images from her early life.
“As a Black woman who grew up in a predominantly white rural community, I have been subjected to racial stereotyping throughout my life,” she said.
Fisk recounted one early example in 1978 when her friend and neighbour was dressed as Aunt Jemima on Halloween and had used coal to make her face black.
“I remember feeling sick to my stomach and embarrassed to be me. Even in 1978, as a 10-year-old girl, I knew it wasn’t right. I was embarrassed to be me because, other than my twin brother, I was the only Black child there,” Fisk said.
As Fisk grew older and moved to more diverse communities, she began to be subjected to ‘Colorism’ within the Black community.
“Oreo was a common name that I was called,” said Fisk. “Having been adopted into a white family, I did not share the same cultural experiences.”
Oreo is a term used to describe someone who is thought of as being black on the outside and white on the inside, according to Fisk.
“Being called Oreo is a double-edged sword. From the white community it means that you ‘act white’, so are therefore accepted. In the Black community, it means you ‘act white’ and so are therefore viewed as pretentious,” she said.
Fisk said the project was cathartic
for her and forced her to confront the racial prejudice that she had experienced in a healthy way.
“The images also confront the viewer, forcing them to question their own biases,” Fisk said. “In my research, it has become evident that a number of these stereotypes are unknown.”
Andrea Terry is the director of the STFX Art Gallery, which exhibited there is no one story of Black girlhood in February.
“Exhibiting her work at the gallery has been a career highlight for me because it is one of the most powerful exhibitions I have ever had the pleasure of working on,” Terry said of Fisk’s self-portraits.
“She is able to connect with people by depicting herself because these are her experiences and she wants to share them in a non-verbal way,” Terry said. “And what better way to do that than through painting, than through art, because it’s not always that words are needed.”
Presently, Fisk has completed five pieces of art that are part of a new series focusing on the epistemology of racist phrases and sayings.
For information, go to @ rebeccasimoneart.