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Ancestor’s Part II

Faith Ringgold
Ancestor’s Part II, 2017
Acrylic on canvas with fabric border
Work: 144.8 x 157.5 cm

In Ancestors Part II, Ringgold depicts a group of multiracial children dancing together, hand-in-hand, alongside text that describes an accompanying song for a “world at peace” filled with “love not hate”. Following on from a series of quilts the artist began making in the 1980s, this most recent work serves as a counterpoint to our current divisive society, echoing Ringgold’s approach to encouraging diversity and harmony through her work. “It is a Story Quilt series that looks back to the people who came before us and tells their stories which might otherwise be forgotten. I’m very inspired by my ancestors and have revisited this subject matter throughout my career from the Ancestors performance pieces of the 1970s to the Coming to Jones Road Part II Story Quilts from the early 2000s. My motivations have remained consistent — I have always wanted my work to reflect me and my experience.” Faith Ringgold quoted in The Fantastic Life of Faith Ringgold (https://hyperallergic.com/477794/the-fantastic-life-of-faith-ringgold/)