DOC 234—34/2
REX-13: 978-0882681/283
This work explores the hidden commodity of Indigo; the plant pigment rooted in black and indigneous resilience.
Indigo is a green shrub, producing the bluest of hues. This plant is native to many ancient cultures and countries within West Africa and beyond. This is a sacred plant known to multiple tribes within West Africa; often used for medicine, textile dye, tattoo ink and more.
Enslavement of Africans increased drastically as a result of the indigo boom in the mid-18th century. Indigo Plantations developed in South Carolina, Georgia and the West Indies where colonists relied on the strenuous labour from enslaved Africans to grow, harvest and produce indigo pigments for their benefit.
The colour blue is woven within the identity of the United States of America we know today, from blue denim to the American Flag - all originally dyed with Indigo through the genocide, exploitation, brutality on which the backbone of this nation was built. This work speaks upon the significance of 2 yards of cloth - as it was traded for a human being. This piece reflects 4 humans using 8 yards of cloth.
Indigo has transcended borders and enslavement horror stories, a reminder of the resilience woven within the black experience. Who would have thought a green shrub can bring as much horror as it does beauty? This work reminds us to look beyond the surface and investigate the interwoven threads weaving our narratives.
Blue as survival.
Blue as a graveyard for black voices.