Ain't I a Woman

Date2005

MediumMixed media

Dimensions71 1/2 × 20 in. (181.6 × 50.8 cm) Framed Size: 81 × 28 3/4 in. (205.7 × 73 cm)

Credit LineDC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Wilson Building Collection

Object numberDCCAH2007.216

ClassificationsPaintings

Locations

Wilson Building Art Collection (1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW)

DescriptionThis piece is a part of the "Nia and The Box" series. The subject of containment vs. personal agency continues to be an ongoing theme in my work. For over ten years Gibson-Hunter has created images of people resisting, ignoring, and squeezing out of boxes too small to contain them. These works are her attempt to express opposition to internal and external forces that impose limitations, binding the soul and stifling our human sense of self-determination. Nia is a Kiswahili word for purpose, and in this series the images are all women. The entire figure is rarely entirely encased in a box; some portion of the body can always be stretched outside the margin. Within each piece are small narratives relating to the attempt to truncate the will to be, and the tenacious fight against it. This is Gibson-Hunter’s expression of the boundless nature of the human spirit. The works are created on paper and combine painting printmaking, collage and assemblage. Acrylics and oil-based ink are utilized as well as charcoal, colored pencil, and graphite. These are a part of a series of 15 pieces, of various sizes, which were created between 2005 and 2006.