Root Work Journal - Navigating the Ocean - Volume 1, Issue 2
Zulie
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Marie Medjine Antoine
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My name is Marie Medjine Antoine, I’m a Black Haitian artist and most of my work feature Black women. In this specific image I am calling for the women who have came before me, specially Erzulie Dantor and the Virgin Mary to help me understand the virtues of motherhood and feminist. I hope for this piece resonates with who comes across it and feel seen.
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As I’ve been exploring my ancestral history and what different forms of spirituality, I’ve been very drawn to Erzulie Dantor and Yemaya and their connection to the Mother Mary. Always wondering how information spread across the diaspora. The heart Joating at the top is the immaculate heart a symbol of Dantor and the mother Mary. I formed the dress in a way that made me look pregnant because Dantor and Mary represent motherhood and fertility. I wanted to showcase motherhood because it always frustrated how most depiction of the mother’s had the child centered. Creating this image with the intent of me looking pregnant, has the “mother” centered while the child is not forgotten.
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