Emma Amos

Through painting, printmaking and weaving, artist Emma Amos seeks to challenge and deconstruct racial and gender prejudices.

When she arrived in New York in the 1960s she experienced racism, sexism and ageism and was
discriminated against for being a young female African-American artist. She responded through passionate political activism and thought-provoking art.

Identity explores concepts of colour, individuality and unity. Beneath voluminous multi-coloured hair, a woman’s face is divided into two skin tones. Her face can be perceived as one united whole or two opposing halves.

Colour is simultaneously an expressive tool for Amos as an artist, and a means of addressing discrimination based on skin colour. She once said, “Every time I think about colour it’s a political statement.”

Covering the woman are hand-drawn lithography lines, shapes and cultural symbols which project a picture of her identity. Amos seeks to blur the lines that separate black and white, male and female artists.