Relic 26 by Serwah Attafuah, 2024

Transcript

This work is a digital animation displayed on a monitor measuring 1.24 metres high by 71.2 centimetres wide in portrait orientation on a red wall. The work is part of a series that begun in 2021 and has since grown to be 27 pieces, each known as a ‘Future Relic.’ There are two ‘relics’ exhibited in this exhibition, with the focus for this audio description being Relic 26, positioned on the right of the two. 

The video is on a five second loop and portrays a female figure moving her head back-and-forth from left to right. She is positioned in front of a deep chocolate brown curtain. The figure, a black African woman, is shown from the waist up, her arms by her side. She is ornately dressed, in a style akin to 18th century French dress, made fashionable by Marie Antoinette, characteristic of the Rococo period. Exceptionally ornamental, dramatic, and decorative, her deep orange red hair sits styled up in tight curls with ringlets dropping down either side of her face. 

On the top left-hand side, positioned on an angle, is a small gold gilt cage and contained within it are two pink butterflies with another pink butterfly positioned, wings spread open, on the exterior of the cage. Above the artist's temple on the right-hand side sits another butterfly, nestled amongst the curls with vibrant, pale blue coloured wings. This same iridescent blue is dusted down the left-hand side of her face, on her forehead, cheek, and chin. Irregular jagged lines run down her face like scars. They travel down the centre of her forehead before splitting off at the bridge of her nose, moving down in solid lines towards the middle of her cheeks and down either side of her chin. 

Thick black, false eyelashes frame her striking eyes– the iris of the eye on the left side is purple, and the iris of the eye on the right side is bright blue. She looks out, somewhat vacantly, her voluptuous lips pursed shut and expressionless, taking in the scene. She wears pink drop pearl earrings and a pearl choker around an elaborately ruffled lace collar. A large butterfly with orange and black wings sits lightly upon the collar on top of her shoulder on the right. 

Her dress is a burnished gold, transparent across her bodice, revealing a black and white striped undergarment and a golden corset. A black leather belt gathers at her waist, fastened tight by criss-crossing black ribbon thread through eyelets to tighten. On the left-hand-side on the elbow, upon the sleeve of her golden dress rests another butterfly, a swallowtail with lime green wings and black markings. 

Attafuah describes the work in this series as follows, “it’s an overview of my practice, creating futures whilst still acknowledging the past. The present is so surreal to me, and I take it to a more literal visual point with the use of photo manipulation to give these works an 'old-world' feel whilst the subject matter remains futuristic to periods untouched. It's about Afrofuturism, decolonization, freedom, and knowing the struggle may never end but fighting and staying strong regardless.” 

Serwah Attafuah is a multidisciplinary artist and musician based on Dharug land, Western Sydney, Australia. 

For more information, visit Attafuah’s website serwayh.xyz.