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April 6, 2009

Wangechi Mutu

Wangechi Mutu in Vogue April 2009 issue photopgraphed by Annie Leibovitz

Wangechi Mutu (b.1972, Nairobi, Kenya) is an artist who lives and works in New York. She moved to New York in the 1990s to study anthropology and fine art at Cooper Union (BFA, 1996), and Yale University (MFA, 2000).

She creates painted and collaged images of female figures, first painting outline images on PET film, then adding detail with photographic fragments of idealised women collected from print magazines.

The figures generally feature grotesque distortions of form and skin texture, which critics read as commentary on a variety of feminist and racial issues ("of the history of women's representation, of cultural migration, global identity; of a litany of historical violence and destruction; of colonial legacies, exoticism and voyeuristic fascination"). source

5 comments:

Cee said...

Nice to meet one of my fellow countrywomen on your blog, thanx for educating us about Women in the diaspora. I don't think many Kenyans know about her though...

Fly Girl said...

Wangechi creates some striking art work. She has a high profile in the art world but isn't too well known outside it.

Beauty Is Diverse said...

@ Cee- Your welcome.

@ Fly Girl- Her work is great. I agree she isn't well known outside the art world, but was happy to see her in Vogue which will give her some more exposure.

picnotes said...

aha,i want to sit on these stilts!

Anonymous said...

Went to elementary school with Wangechi. So proud of her wow! go girl.

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