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L RALLIFORD
BLK
History
Visual
Voices
BRINGING HISTORY TO LIFE
One of my biggest pet peeves has been the lack of positive and realistic representation of the characters in the African Diaspora. Growing up I remember my teachers describing Africans and African slaves as being uneducated, poor, and starving. It wasn't until I became an adult that I began researching the stories of the past.
As I read the stories of these powerful characters, I noticed that there was very little visual representation of them. Naturally, as an artist, I became driven to create a visual perspective of many of these lost legacies.
Ancient Egyptian Sculpture
While researching ancient Egypt, I learned about how detailed the artisans were. These sculpturists, painters, and builders were able to capture accurate images of themselves, using mixed media. One scultpure stood out the most to me, which was a carving that used crystals for eyes. Studying this image, I noticed that the eyes seemed to follow you wherever you looked. This painting was my recreation of what inspired me.
This is America
Donald Glover (aka Child Gambino) shook the world when he released his song and music video "This is America." The music video used a lot of symbolic reference that showed how America put more value in guns and marijuana. There were other important references made in the video, such as a man who looked like Treyvon Martin's father playing the guitar. I wanted to capture everything that I felt from watching that video into a single painting, and this was the result. This painting has been showcased in multiple gallery events in Seattle.
Stokely Carmichael
If I could meet up for coffee with one historical character, I would choose either Marcus Garvey or Stokely Carmichael. I believe that Carmichael was extremely underrated. He was incredibly intelligent, and a lot of things he spoke out about, are still being debated and studied. Many of us, like myself, were told Carmichael was scary and someone to fear. But after conducting my own studies I find that the only thing people feared was his genius.
Marcus Garvey
Garvey, like Carmichael, was underrated. Even though he was heavily religious, his words and ideas were decades before its time. During his period it was hard to bring people together in a country looking for reasons to keep everyone divided. Even though his story didn't end on the positive note, he has inspired millions into building a world where Black is Beautiful.
BLM Protesters
For almost 10 years, from 2012 to 2021, the BLM protestors marched and stood at corners with signs, almost every weekend. The cries echoed around the world, as protestors demanded an end to police brutality and justice for people of color. The movement came to an abrupt stop as black performers returned to performing during NFL halftime shows and as Disney gave promise for a sequel to their Black Panther. Historically, the cries for justice have always come in waves, in which the outcry becomes a prominent figure in society like a 100-foot wave, only to suddenly calm down to mere grumbles. I wasn’t shocked that the movement would mysteriously be hushed. I was just waiting for the “when.”
In the height of the movement an image stood out to me, which was a black and white picture of a mother and daughter holding signs. I wanted to see what the image would look like colorized, so I created this painting which captured a historic moment.
In the height of the movement an image stood out to me, which was a black and white picture of a mother and daughter holding signs. I wanted to see what the image would look like colorized, so I created this painting which captured a historic moment.
King and Queen
As I was studying ancient Egypt, I discovered that there was a possibility that many of the artifacts may have been lightened. The darker complexion ancient Egyptian society has always been downplayed or dismissed. Often, I have seen images from the Greco-Roman period being portrayed as what the original Egyptians. The truth is that Ancient Egypt had many waves of different ethnic groups ruling, but from what I have seen, inspiring dynasties like the 18th Dynasty had a dark complexion.
The ancient Egyptians were advanced in art and capable of capturing features that depicted their ethnicity. Egyptians that did not have kinky (4C-type) hair, would wrap their hair with string or wear wigs to imitate the images of the original dynasties.
While Hollywood seems to be determined to make all Ancient Egyptians and their Deities with a fair complexion. Science and Natural Selection and historical artifacts, paint a more realistic picture. Therefore, out of pure interest to see what it would look like, I decided to make this image based off Amun and Tut. In this image, the complexion of the King and Queen are dark as I imagined them to be.
The ancient Egyptians were advanced in art and capable of capturing features that depicted their ethnicity. Egyptians that did not have kinky (4C-type) hair, would wrap their hair with string or wear wigs to imitate the images of the original dynasties.
While Hollywood seems to be determined to make all Ancient Egyptians and their Deities with a fair complexion. Science and Natural Selection and historical artifacts, paint a more realistic picture. Therefore, out of pure interest to see what it would look like, I decided to make this image based off Amun and Tut. In this image, the complexion of the King and Queen are dark as I imagined them to be.
African Presence in the Americas
This painting is 100% inspired by Ivan Van Sertima’s “They Came Before Columbus.” Sometimes I try to capture a lapse of time, in a single image. This style of positioning of the characters, was inspired by Ancient Egyptian art. According to Van Sertima, the ancient Mayans were black. Well, looking at their relics it is quite clear that they had a dark complexion. Sertima in his book and lectures, stated that ancient tribes from southern and western Africa would travel the ocean currents to the Americas. Many Anthropologists and Historians claim that there is no proof to suggest that claim. But when we look at maps of the expansion of homo sapien, it looks like it is possible that our early ancestors travelled directly from Africa to the Americas before Europeans. Additionally, there are several cultural similarities that we see in ancient Mayan and ancient Egyptian. Finally, Africans had boats and ships – a key fact that continues to be dismissed.
As I was studying this theory, I needed to have some form of visualization to help me understand. (Note: this image may not be a good representation of historical accuracy – it is more of a symbolic depiction) This piece, was created to piece everything. A representative of ancient ruling nations is lining up to come before the king to trade, until the final guest (Europeans) arrive.
As I was studying this theory, I needed to have some form of visualization to help me understand. (Note: this image may not be a good representation of historical accuracy – it is more of a symbolic depiction) This piece, was created to piece everything. A representative of ancient ruling nations is lining up to come before the king to trade, until the final guest (Europeans) arrive.
King Nichealu
This painting was inspired by an ink sketch of King Nichealu. While his story may not be the greatest, I thought this moment stood out to me. "Here is an African Royal who is not a barbarian." Visually seeing this image helped me to see BLK history through a new lens.
Freedom Fighters
The system wants you to think that emancipation was a gift given to black people. The reality is that there were revolutions happening throughout the Caribbean and the Americas. One war, Tackyi's War, motivated American politicians to tighten Black Laws to prevent an uprising.
This picture depicts Tackyi, Queen Cubah, and other Maroon warriors in a cloud of spiritual protection.
This picture depicts Tackyi, Queen Cubah, and other Maroon warriors in a cloud of spiritual protection.
Africans had Ships
This image depicts all the different boats and ships ancient Africans used before colonization.
George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver was an inventor and a botanist who played a significant role in bringing ancient Herbology into Western science.
King
An ancient Congolese King had a self-portrait created. The original always seemed like his African features (hair, feet, and face) were hidden - artistically blurred. I was inspired to recreate this piece as I imagined this king truly looked like.
Sunset
We want to believe that those who speak out for Justice are saints, but while I was living through the constant protests outside my window, I discovered the ugly side. I discovered that the BLM activist leaders were purposely pushing the protestors to march onto I-5. They did this by using peer-pressure. As people would blindly walk onto the freeway, they would put themselves at risk of being hit by moving cars. In some cases, protestors were hit and/or killed.
I had firsthand experience of being pressured to walk onto a busy freeway. The crazy thing about this (other than walking onto a freeway) was that if a protestor was hit, the driver was being attacked for purposely trying to kill marchers. I also noticed that by refusing or by speaking up against the behavior, I quickly became outcasted and criticized.
I created this piece, a sort of time lapse, to depict the things I saw around the corner from my home.
I had firsthand experience of being pressured to walk onto a busy freeway. The crazy thing about this (other than walking onto a freeway) was that if a protestor was hit, the driver was being attacked for purposely trying to kill marchers. I also noticed that by refusing or by speaking up against the behavior, I quickly became outcasted and criticized.
I created this piece, a sort of time lapse, to depict the things I saw around the corner from my home.
Outrage
The early phases of the 2020 Lockdown was an interesting time. It seemed that millions of people were struggling with sitting still. It didn't take much to trigger a wave of rage, riots, and protests. From MAGA supports to BLM supports, to Medical Staff, to Native Americans, to professional sports players... everyone seemed to be experiencing a form of outrage.
This piece was created to try to capture the emotion of that period. As well as to depict the irony that in the storm of outrage, the disease spreading rapidly increased.
This piece was created to try to capture the emotion of that period. As well as to depict the irony that in the storm of outrage, the disease spreading rapidly increased.
Infamous ADOS
Towards the final peak of the BLM Movement, a new wave of warped ideology was forming within the African American community. Amazingly, many African Americans were starting to formulate a cult movement that stated that they were the "only" ones suffering from racism and social injustice. Many of these ADOS fanatics openly discarded the relevance of other black members of their communities, such as Caribbean and Afro Americans. It didn't matter that descendants of African, Caribbean, or Latin migrants experienced the same injustices (including sharecropping and Jim Crow Laws). According to an ADOS fanatic, if your ancestors were not in the US for about 400-years, you were irrelevant to the black story. This warped ideology made me furious. In all of my publications and art, I have supported the ideology of Pan Africanism. I have taught about the connection of the uprisings around the world. But regardless of the historic facts laid out in front, ADOS fanatics formed a new form of fascism. Thus, I created this piece - not to make fun of African Americans' suffering, but in hopes to help extremists see that we are all suffering and could benefit by working together. While other nations have marched in honor of BLM, the African American communities have not marched for the issues in other places. But regardless of this fact, other black nations continue to support African American issues.
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