Return and Get It
Return and Get It
Return and Get It, named for the English translation of the Akan concept of Sankofa, is a graphic exploration of some of the many ways in which the peoples of West Africa and the African Diaspora have preserved elements of their mother cultures through innovation, production, and expression. The series takes observers on a visual journey through time, from indigenous facets to transformations resulting from European colonization and trans-Atlantic slave trade to modern-day efforts to reclaim and reimagine the work of ancestors.
As history builds on history, the artist has chosen to create in the form of digital collage. In layering AI generated images, she represents the cultural adaptation that is integral to Black Identities and crucial to the Human Experience. Linocut is superimposed upon photography upon illustration upon painting with varying opacity, This approach results in works which reflect the complexity of their subjects. It is the artist’s hope that the series portrays Afro-descended people in all of their dignity, color, and beauty as they return and get it.
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About the artist
@jenelle-v-nero-reid
Jenelle Nero is an award-winning digital artist whose works explore black history and present experiences throughout the African Diaspora and the mother continent. Drawing inspiration from black cultures, she creates images that portray Afro-descended people, who are far too often unrepresented or misrepresented, in their brilliance and reslience. Jenelle holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Queens College of the City University of New York. Currently, she is focusing on the creation of an independent cartoon series based on Yoruba philosophy and a fantasy audiobook that references Asante traditions.
Related works
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Publication and gallery context
Public after review and explicit publication.
Placed in AI-ARTS Gallery with a stable public URL.
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