This work was influenced by the culture of Ringgold’s resident community of Harlem, New York; Duke Ellington and Langston Hughes lived around the corner, along with her childhood friend Sonny Rollins. In the work, a female torch singer pelts out a tune to the accompanying music of her back-up band. Red, wavy lines convey the vibrations of the music. Standing centre-stage in a vibrantly-patterned dress, the singer holds the viewer’s attention, eliciting images of powerful jazz heroines such as Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. Here, Ringgold celebrates unbridled, female creativity, made all the more poignant in light of jazz music’s significant role in the fight for civil rights.
Nancy Spector, Chief Curator at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, explains: ‘Ringgold paintings from the 60s and 70s are overtly political, and present an angry, critical reappraisal of the American dream glimpsed through the filter of race and gender relations. Ringgold’s more recent aesthetic strategy is not one of political agitation or blatant visual provocation. Instead, she has come to embrace the potential for social change by undermining racial and gender stereotypes through impassioned and optimistic presentations of black female heroines.’
This limited edition print follows Faith Ringgold’s acclaimed survey exhibition at the Serpentine Galleries in 2019 – the artist’s first in a European institution which included paintings, political posters and story quilts from the past six decades.
The image of a singer and her band in this large 13-colour screen print originates from Ringgold’s Jazz Stories series of quilts which she begun in 2004, one of which was included in the Serpentine exhibition. In this body of work, Ringgold looks back to Harlem and the vibrant legacy of jazz. Growing up in the creative and intellectual context of the Harlem Renaissance, Ringgold’s life has been surrounded by jazz musicians, many of whom continue to inspire her practice.
Faith Ringgold is regarded as one of the most important living African American artists. An acclaimed painter, mixed media sculptor and writer, Ringgold is best known for her "story quilts" that combine narrative paintings with quilted borders and text. Born and raised in Harlem, New York, Ringgold earned her masters degree at City College of New York where she studied under Robert Gwathmey and Yasuo Kuniyoshi. Ringgold is also a noted author of twelve children's books including the award winning "Tar Beach" in which children are encouraged to follow their dreams.
A noted muralist in the 1960s, Ringgold turned to civil rights and African themes in her art. In the 1970s, she began making art objects with media associated with "Women's work" -- textiles, weaving, quilting and embroidery. Her story quilts deal with issues such as slavery, feminism, and art-world politics. Ringgold addresses racial and gender biases with gentle humor instead of harshness. The rich colors and patterns in her compositions use space and line and form in a style similar to folk art. In "Mama Can Sing, Papa Can Blow" Ringgold uses color, line and pattern to capture the mood of jazz music during a live performance.
