Blog 2: Family Tree by Wangechi Mutu

Family Tree 

Size: 16 ^1/4 × 12 ^1/4 in
         41.3 × 31.1 cm

Date: 2012

Material:  Mixed-media collages on paper

Born in Naorobi, Kenya,Wangechi Mutu is best known for her misrepresentation that women, particularly black women, experience in the contemporary world. Her work explores issues of gender, race, war, globalization and colonialism. Through her work, Mutu creates mysterious collages of different figures using a combination of human, animals,  machines and alien.  Family Tree a series of 13 collages Mutu illustrates Western medicine’s historical dissections of the human body to the carving up of the African continent under colonialism.  I chose this piece because I enjoyed how Mutu created a fairy-tale realm with beautiful images. There is enough contrast and details to question and understand the message of the piece. Although most of her work portrays violence there is still an equal balance of beauty.