
Tamia Alston-Ward
Cuzzo # 1, 2022
24K gold, glitter, casein paint, egg tempera on prepared paper
9 x 12 inches
22.9 x 30.5 cms
22.9 x 30.5 cms
Copyright The Artist
As the collection of Black Bodies continued after the Emancipation Proclamation, playful images and caricatures reinforced the flippant and facetious attitude of Black exploitation from white people. This is a...
As the collection of Black Bodies continued after the Emancipation Proclamation, playful images and caricatures reinforced the flippant and facetious attitude of Black exploitation from white people. This is a delicate porcelain "Jungle Imp" figurine made by Irene Nye, a ceramicist who made a huge array of these Black figurines in the mid-1900s including straw huts, trees, and cheeky poses. She was inspired by the Winsor Mckay 1903 comic strip A Tale of Jungle Imps by Felix Fiddle. The comic chronicles Felix Fiddle, a man from "civilization observing these "Imps" who exhibit "primitive" and playful tendencies, tormenting animals and engaging in the taboo. After researching for figurines, this stood out to me, as it clearly exhibits a Black woman, exposed breasts and anatomy, however, there are also childlike or adolescent proportions. Outside of the racist and colonial-minded nature of these artists from the original creator to the ceramicist, this figure depicts a phenomenon that still affects Black women and girls today. Adultification is the perception of Black children as being less innocent, "fast" or sexually promiscuous, and adult-like than white children. This leads to an overrepresentation of Black girls being sexually assaulted and having steeper punishments in school and the juvenile detention system. As Black people come from and are nurtured by Black women be it our mothers, family members, or friends, it is especially important to nurture and protect Black Women and girls. The materials used to reflect her tie to the Mammy, and yet her girlhood and womanhood are reflected through the glitter, a medium found in girl toys and makeup alike.