Nadine Hall
Heirlooms 2: Cycles of Genocide, is an exploration of problematize masculinities within the Jamaican society and was created to stimulate discourse regarding the self-destructive tendencies of the marginalized Jamaican male. The installation is imbued with physical and metaphorical symbols, which mirror the socio-cultural and socio-ethnic value systems which reject the underprivileged male, as a person of substance. These values and notions – which have been grounded in the trenches of colonialism, actively persist today and are handed down as heirlooms from one generation to the next. These heirlooms therefore, facilitate systemic cycles of self-hate, alienation and self-destructive behaviors, consequently, leading to cycles of futility, repression and death.
The artwork is composed of six pregnant male figures and multiple spherical red fiber forms. The pregnant figures represent a certain irony that society often ignores and are not adept to deal with – the pregnant male. Consequently, the pregnant male narrative becomes a parody, as he is forced to abort his pregnancy; never giving birth to his potential, talents, ambitions and aspirations. The six figures are embellished with toothpicks, which represent a form of unfortified defense system for the marginalized men in our society. The red fiber spheres represent blood, bleeding, talents, potentials, ambitions and life. The figures are hung with nooses around their necks, representative of the socio-economic and class/colour barriers that stymie their potential. The circular formation of the spheres, which are clustered in the center of the installation, represent repetition and continuity of this menacing, pervasive and vicious cycle.
Instagram: @nadinenataliehall