A pioneering artist whose practice focused on representations of black womanhood, Maxine Walker's series of self portraits (1985 - 1997) is a poignant exploration of identity by a young artist at the height of her career - using photography to interrogate the intricacies of skin, blackness and being.
In the seminal series, Walker draws our attention to the features of her face in closely-cropped black and white photographs. The sequence of ten portraits share a charged visual journey as she seemingly peels away layers of her surface skin, conjuring a narrative that is more sinister than playful, intimating that her blackness cannot - and must not - be stripped away. Magnifying the delicacy of her skin, we are invited to consider complex notions of beauty, masquerade, and vulnerability.
via autograph
