Existing comment:
Pride.
A member of the "born-free generation," Dada Khanyisa creates a range of works -- from sneakers and graphic art to paintings -- intimately connected to South African politics and popular culture. Dada self-identifies as gender nonconforming and has also produced work under the name The Mighty Whale. In AMA #WCW, six young women are at a nightclub or restaurant enjoying cocktails, cigarettes, and chicken. But, most importantly, almost everyone is close to their smartphones. Three women are taking selfies; three other phones are actually embedded on the surface of the table, adding to the sculptural depth of a painting with hair extensions, jewelry, and fabric appended to its surface. An isiZulu caption sits in the foreground alongside the Instagram-style "tagging" of one of the women in the image. The painting takes on the look of an Instagram post -- even as further posts are likely being framed and composed on other smartphones at the very moment the painting depicts. Its title recalls multiple acronyms regularly used on social media -- "#AMA," or "ask me anything," and "#WCW" or "Woman Crush Wednesday." |