Bisa Butler’s artistry breathes life into the stories woven into the fabric of history. Through her ingenious use of vibrant textiles, she paints vivid portraits that sing with energy and narrative. Unlike traditional artwork that confines itself to oils or charcoals, Butler transcends mediums by weaving the historical threads of identity into her kaleidoscopic tapestries. Each piece is a symphony of patterns and colors, capturing the essence of African American culture. Her subjects, though faceless in historical accounts, burst into existence on her canvases, dancing in hues that celebrate their untold stories.
Butler’s work not merely revives forgotten faces but reclaims the narrative co-opted by dominant cultures. She casts a spotlight on the daily brilliance of African Americans, honoring their legacies and contributions ignored for centuries. By transforming textiles into storytelling tools, Butler challenges us to question whose histories are told and treasured. The meticulous layering of fabrics becomes symbolic of the complexities and richness of cultures intertwined but often overlooked. Through her lens, mundane life is a tapestry of resilience and vibrancy, embroidered with the strands of collective memory and identity.
In my work, I am telling the story — this African American side — of the American life. History is the story of men and women, but the narrative is controlled by those who hold the pen. My community has been marginalized for hundreds of years. While we have been right beside our white counterparts experiencing and creating history, our contributions and perspectives have been ignored, unrecorded, and lost. It is only a few years ago that it was acknowledged that the White House was built by slaves. Right there in the seat of power of our country African Americans were creating and contributing while their names were lost to history. My subjects are African Americans from ordinary walks of life who may have sat for a formal family portrait or may have been documented by a passing photographer. Like the builders of the White House, they have no names or captions to tell us who they were.
Bisa Butler
More info: Website, Instagram (h/t: Claire Oliver Gallery).
