The Art of Zaïrè 

Whilst growing up in a predominantly Caucasian school district, I encountered hurtful words from my fellow students such as whitest black guy, token black man, and oreo. These slurs relate back to a driving theme found in Franz Fanon's literary work Black Skin, White Mask. Fannon states, “When people like me, they like me ‘in spite of my color.’ When they dislike me; they point out that it isn’t because of my color. Either way, I am locked into the Infernal Circle.” Living in America, the African-American is smothered by the duality of appearing educated and non-threatening to white people and also streetwise and tough to our fellow Africans. My work showcases this struggle as I wrestle with a moist cotton pillowcase. The pillowcase symbolizes the torture of living this double life that my people have faced from enslavement to the contemporary struggles that still face Black communities today.