Assignment #2 Group Project

Power Plays in Art

The artwork to be to be analyzed by a group of three is an untitled photograph of a woman’s hands that was shot in 2010 in Harlem, New York by a local photographer named Deana Lawson who was featured at the Studio Museum in Harlem from 2010 to 2011. The parts of the photo we will focus on are what are on this woman’s hands; the henna on her finger tips, her gold ring, her hijab and how they can be seen as power plays. In the artist’s statement of this photograph on the museum’s web page, Lawson states, “I had almost finished with the shots, and while maneuvering around the women, I noticed the hands of one who wore a hijab. I made an internal note of her hands.”

Lawson, Deana. Untitled. 2010. Photograph. Studiomuseum.org. Deana Lawson, 2010. Web. 17 Apr. 2016

In my observation, this photograph of this woman’s hands is a power play because of who is in the artwork and where the picture was taken. As indicated in the explanation for the artwork, at least one of the women who are in conversation where not conformed to style and dress typical of America. The photo was taken in Harlem, New York. From what I know as a native of Harlem and encountering frequent visitors from all over, henna on a women’s body can be for a number of reasons. Some reasons could be to adorn her for any occasion, for good energy, or to ward off evil spirits. Henna is not only worn by women, and is worn through out Africa, the Middle East and Asia and other parts of the world. The fact that she wore henna on the tips of her fingers in New York City gives me the impression she is a person that is proud of her culture and knows that she can inspire anyone outside it to appreciate the beauty of how she decided to decorate herself in the midst of being in America; a country that considers itself to be the standard of everything, including what a women should enhance and how. To go against such a powerful influence alone is a thing that only an authoritarian would do.

Karia Hill

One of the more obvious components of this artwork is that the woman is wearing a gold ring on her left hand on what most cultures know as the “ring finger”. This leads me to believe that she could be married. The act of marriage is very powerful. Two people are becoming one. But sometimes it’s not clear as for whom it would be a thing of power. Assuming that this woman may not follow American culture, she may have had an arranged marriage. If so, then the reason why she is married is not that she wanted to be, but because she was told by most likely her parents, the usual relatives that are given this task. Because of this, I see the power play possibly coming from her parents to which she is subjected. Though if she had a choice of which she wanted to wed, it would be a power play of her own, since she made the decision for whatever reason compelled her. Lastly, if she happens to be a woman who is not married and decided to wear the ring on whatever finger she wanted, she also would be considered an authoritarian. In this situation, she is conveying to people that see her that they can’t automatically know about her life just by looking at what she is wearing. The most telling thing of this assumption is that all the while onlookers will not even know message she is sending. I think this is the essence of being a power player.

Mohamed Baba

In the description of the photo, it is said that the women in the photo is wearing a hijab. It is most likely that she follows a religion that forces her to wear this. A hijab is a cover for women’s body. It is used to prevent men from having sexual urges and to show a type of social class. The religion in which she follows has a big role in how she is portrayed in society. The religion is shown as a form of power in this photo, it constraints the freedom of expression that she could have shown with her clothing.

Even though she doesn’t necessarily have to follow this way of life, it is most likely because she wants to violate any rules of her religion.

Yancey Ko

Authoritarianism is a characteristic that can be executed by anyone for any reason. We should take note that we are subject to it in some cases by not being aware of it. Works of art gives us a way to look at our conditions and examine them close enough so that we may understand them better. How we use our authority determines whether we are wise enough to use it in a way that will add to the greater good or to what we perceive to be the greater good of our individual selves.