Uncle Of The Garden

The Uncle of the Garden triptych shows a black man who always seems to be looking in the same direction. Nothing tells us who he is, if not the title of the work. Viewers are invited to make up the story of this puzzling figure, whose expression combines anxiety, contemplation and perplexity, and to build his identity. 

The dark, vaporous background seems to awaken a figure from our memories. The artist attaches importance to depicting Black American communities, showing institutions that have long ignored them that they exist. To do that, she chooses a painting style similar to that of Manet and Degas, whom she cites as influences on her work. 

The Uncle of the Garden triptych, which is in the Pinault Collection, was first exhibited in 2018 during the "Debout !" ("Stand Up!") show at the Couvent des Jacobins in Rennes.