Paintings > Weather the Storm

When the Storm Waves Reach the Sky
acrylic on canvas
30 x 42 in
2021
The Storm Winds Are Blowing
acrylic on canvas
36 x 51 in.
2018
Clouds Canopy the Sky
acrylic on canvas
36 x 51 in.
2018
O Woman Take the Oars and Row
acrylic and spray paint on canvas
36 x 51 in.
2018
Take the Oars and Row (Bailing)
acrylic on canvas
30 x 42 in
2018
You Pull the Ropes
acrylic and spray paint on canvas
30 x 42 in
2018
I’ll Hoist the Sail
acrylic, woodblock, and spray paint on canvas
30 x 42 in
2018
Sing the Song of Victory
acrylic and spray paint on canvas
30 x 42 in
2018

This series of paintings explores themes of empowerment, gender, environment, and community. Weather the Storm is a series of paintings based on two performance art actions about climate change, Floating/Drowning (Miami Beach and Biscayne Bay, December 2016) and Change Is Coming (Anacostia River, DC, September 2017). The performances and paintings draw on a Bengali song, “Kharobayu Boye Bege (Storm Winds Are Blowing)” (R. Tagore, 1927) , which I have I been singing in my performances. The song is about working together to row a boat to shore during a storm, an analogy to rising up against imperialism. I replaced the word “boatman” with “woman” to create a feminist anthem of climate resilience: “O woman take the oars and row.” Lines from the song appear in the paintings. In the series, I depict women working together outdoors, engaged in some sort of effort or action. I choose to show women as active empowered subjects, not passive objects.