Kenturah Davis, Study for Entanglements, 2019. Courtesy of Jenkins Johnson Gallery

Kenturah Davis, Study for Entanglements, 2019

Kenturah Davis' work is an exploration of the relationship between language, identity, and movement. In Study for Entanglements (2019), the artist uses handwritten text as a way to draw the portrait of a black woman, whose hands and eyes are in motion. The text is made up of words that allude to concepts such as contingency, freedom, resistance, and agency. The text also creates a spray shadow that adds depth and contrast to the image. I like this work because it seems to me that it masterfully combines visual art and verbal art, creating an image that is both a drawing and a text. I like how the artist uses handwritten text as a shading technique, giving volume and texture to the woman's face. I like how the text also works as a narrative, telling the story of the woman and her identity. I like how the text becomes a form of expression, affirmation, and resistance. This work seems to me to represent the complexity and richness of African-American culture, which is based on orality, writing, and movement. I like how the artist is inspired by the tradition of the griots, the oral storytellers of West Africa, who used the word as a way to preserve and transmit collective memory. I like how the artist is also inspired by the tradition of jazz, the improvised music that black musicians created with rhythm, harmony, and melody, which was a form of expression and creativity.

I enjoy this one, I think it invites reflection and dialogue, that raises questions and challenges. I like how the artist uses the concept of quantum entanglements, which refers to the ability of two particles to influence each other at a distance, no matter how much space or time separates them. I find it interesting how the artist suggests that language has a quantum dimension, that it can create invisible links between people and things, and that it can alter the course of events. I like how the artist challenges us all, that she questions us about our way of communicating and relating to the world. The work seems to me to be a reflection on how language shapes the way we are and act in the world, and how we can use it to challenge the structures that limit or oppress us. The woman portrayed appears to be in a trance-like state, closing her eyes and moving her hands as if she were dancing or praying. His expression is serene and confident as if he knows he has the power to transform your reality with his words. His gesture also suggests a connection to the sacred or the mystical, as if he were in communion with a higher force or with his own spirit. The work also makes me think about the idea of quantum entanglements, which refers to the ability of two particles to influence each other at a distance, no matter how much space or time separates them. Perhaps the artist wants to suggest that language has a quantum dimension, that it can create invisible links between people and things, and that it can alter the course of events. Language, then, would be a tool of creation and resistance, which allows us to transcend physical and social limitations. I find this work impressive because it seems to me that it is a work that breaks with the traditional paradigms of art, that proposes a new way of understanding and representing reality. I find it impressive how the artist manages to create an image that is both a drawing and a text, that uses language as a raw material and as a tool of expression. This work is impressive because it seems to me that it is a work that has a great symbolic and political charge, that reflects the experience and vision of black women in the contemporary context.