ArtistLyric Prince
The Thoughts That Came Before
Date2021
MediumArchival pigment print
DimensionsImage Size: 30 x 20 in. (76.2 x 50.8 cm)
Paper Size: 33 x 25 in. (83.8 x 63.5 cm)
Framed Size: 40 x 30 in. (101.6 x 76.2 cm)
Credit LineDC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Art Bank Collection
Object numberDCCAH2022.050
ClassificationsPhotographs
Locations
- Office of the Secretary, Council (1350 Penn Avenue, NW, Suite 5)
DescriptionThis print comes from a series called Wa Papo, which means “coming together” in the Yoruba language. The series was inspired by the artist’s rediscovery of her interest in body paint and research into indigenous tribes of the Caribbean and West Africa. As an interdisciplinary artist, Prince uses a combination of paint, paper masks, background visuals, and fabrics in her work. Here, she painted symbols and colors on her body and the background and was photographed by her collaborator, David Allen Harris. In the scene, she channels her powerful energy while protecting her face and abdomen from creation’s fallout.