Alisa Sikelianos-Carter USA, b. 1983
Africosmos of Sun and Sea #1, 2022
Unique archival print hand embellished with glitter
50 7/8 x 86 3/4 in
129.2 x 220.3 cm
129.2 x 220.3 cm
8419
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“Africosmos of Sun and Sea” and “Africosmos of Moon and Sea” sparkle and glitter with magnificence as you move before them. Their sparkles are iridescent, shifting in colors from each...
“Africosmos of Sun and Sea” and “Africosmos of Moon and Sea” sparkle and glitter with magnificence as you move before them. Their sparkles are iridescent, shifting in colors from each side creating a complex experience of light and color. Sikelianos-Carter has melded patterns of repeating braids and traditionally Black hairstyles into a form of sacred geometry. You may see similar structures like these for the heads of her Future Ancestors depicted in other works/series. In many African diasporic cultures, the head has spiritual significance as a sight of connection to ancestors and higher power. The hair itself becomes a crown, antenna to the spirit world, as well as a site for rituals of beauty, care, and protection. As African traditions of braiding moved across the Middle Passage, they were used to stow away seeds, to share escape routes like a map, and more. Braids and knowledge of braiding wield significant and enduring power for survival and sustenance. Braids are technology in themselves. “Cornrows” in the US and “Cane rows” in the Caribbean, even their names remain tied to spaces of labor, economy, agriculture, and food systems. Sikelianos-Carter has imbibed these multiplicitous meanings into an abstract and sacred form floating in space. Almost kaleidoscopic, they hold many meanings that continue to unfold across space and time.