Part 1.

In my work I combine elements from my contemporary American life with elements from my heritage. I find this to be one way that I am able to connect with my heritage that is otherwise becoming lost. The idea of what it means to be American or of mixed heritage is changing. It used to be that you had to categorize yourself as a single identity. There is more room for people of mixed heritage in today’s culture. Actually, I think that it is the true symbol of what it means to be American. In my work I am trying to reflect the dichotomy of east and west and most importantly the harmony of the two, so that it doesn’t appear that the two are clashing. I paint elements of Japanese culture but in a modern style, not using traditional Japanese methods. I also incorporate icons of my American life such as the George Washington Bridge, which may sit amidst cherry blossoms and koi fish and Japanese maple leaves. To some the combination of the individual elements may seem strange, but hopefully they find the painting in its entirety to be pleasant.

Part 2.

Wangechi Mutu

1972 Born in Nairobi, Kenya

2000 MFA, Yale University, School of Art Sculpture, New Haven.

1996 BFA, Cooper Union for the Advancement of the Arts and Science, New York.

1991 I.B. United World College of the Atlantic, Wales, UK
Lives and works in New York

How has studying anthropology affected your art work?

Studying anthropology has helped me to connect to colonial concepts and to explore the contradictions of cultural and female identity.

Why do you use pornographic materials in your collages?

The representation of women in pornography and the concepts of beauty in our current society are questionable. The women are ‘supposed’ to be beautiful, yet they are portrayed as vixens, as sex objects, never as mothers or sisters or daughters.