Not a monster
2021
Jesse Carkin
Copic markets, gel pens
︎ @carkinarts
“There is some research that suggests that the story of Medusa was originally created because of European fear of black women with power, African spirituality and melanin. These stories say that Medusa was an representation of an African Priestess or Goddess with dreadlocks. The story was meant to be a cautionary tale, to demonize black women and to discourage race mixing. These fears were rooted in the preservation of melanin recessive people of early European cultures. It was this research and a prompt from talent house.com that lead to me approaching the imagery of Medusa from a different angle. I combined this idea with a portrait of Bree Runway. Bree is a British- Ghanaian singer, rapper, son writer/ artist on the rise. A black woman coming into her own power that challenges our culture’s perceptions of beauty with her in you face style.”
2021
Jesse Carkin
Copic markets, gel pens
︎ @carkinarts
“There is some research that suggests that the story of Medusa was originally created because of European fear of black women with power, African spirituality and melanin. These stories say that Medusa was an representation of an African Priestess or Goddess with dreadlocks. The story was meant to be a cautionary tale, to demonize black women and to discourage race mixing. These fears were rooted in the preservation of melanin recessive people of early European cultures. It was this research and a prompt from talent house.com that lead to me approaching the imagery of Medusa from a different angle. I combined this idea with a portrait of Bree Runway. Bree is a British- Ghanaian singer, rapper, son writer/ artist on the rise. A black woman coming into her own power that challenges our culture’s perceptions of beauty with her in you face style.”
