saturday night
The influences of Black culture and music has echoed across the world, and has permeated into every aspect of our lives and the world’s. With genres that stretch from the Blues and Jazz, to House, Hip-Hop and Rap, black people have told the story of who they are through music. Seemingly attacked from every front, and at every stage of our lives, we have learned to transmute negative energy through music. Through dance and song we create new universes, spaces to feel safe in, when the outside world hasn’t. Through music, we heal open wounds, and tell the story of past scars. We learn about who we were, who we are and experiment with who we will become.
In a world of violence, there is freedom in the trips we take to dance with friends and loved ones on a Saturday night. In light of all our problems and circumstances, on our days off we decide to work in tandem with hypnotic beats. And so the music, we love and create pays homage to the people whose experiences inspired it. We realize the power our music has in shaping and changing the world. And so, on a warm, muggy Saturday night we choose to dance, and while in the middle of the circle we realize that we are... limitless.
What inspired the painting
In Belgian artist, Stromae’s song - Alors on Danse, a story is told about a man who drinks to forget about his problems. With a never ending list of problems in this world, sometimes we may find that it’s easier to channel that anxious energy into dance. In my painting, I explore the weightless feeling one feels while dancing, while creating and using that feeling to tap in to your power and culture, in an effort to inspire others to do the same.
In Kaytranada’s song Culture, we explore that “it” that Black people have. It is not just a vibe, but a combination of all aspects of our history that has helped furnish a nuanced and profound culture, with its music, language, and community.