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Works by Amalia Amaki featured at Spelman
The show is presented in three thematic sections and features photographs, quilts, souvenir fans, mixed media works and digitally manipulated photographs. In it, Amaki draws influence from sources as varied as singer Billie Holiday and surrealist photographer Man Ray. Incorporating fabric, beads, pearls, buttons, paint and glitter, Amaki, in many of her works, turns found objects, photographs and quilts into playful visual puns. Her beaded and button encrusted heart-shaped candy boxes, for example, are full of tempting faux chocolates made from buttons. A mid-career retrospective, this exhibition examines the breadth of Amaki's work spanning more than three decades. Drawing from such sources as blues music, photography, familial history and American heritage, Amaki's work challenges traditional views of African-American culture and focuses on positive images of African-American life--love, loyalty, pride and strength.
At UD, Amaki is both curator of the Paul R. Jones Collection and an assistant professor of Black American Studies. The Paul R. Jones Collection is among the oldest, largest and most complete collections of works by 20th-Century African-American artists. Leading up to the show opening, she was featured on several Atlanta television stations and on Jan. 25 was presented a commendation by Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue. The Spelman show is a collaborative effort between the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art. |
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