RESPECT ON HER NAME

“I was young, Black and female. Not everyone can work for and give the appropriate respect to a person in that package” -Ms. Hill

Our members can relate to this wholeheartedly. When we took on the name Mz.Icar (racizm backwards) we were immediately down to the fact that it had a title. The relationship between titles, Black folks, and America is intense. Taking on a title for us is a practice in autonomy and an exercise and boundaries. During Jim crow (and sometimes in the current day), by practice, whites often didn’t call Black people by their names at all. Instead, they used degrading substitutions such as: “boy,” “gal,” “auntie.” Never did they use formal titles such as “Mister,” “Miss,” or “Mrs.” The ability to name oneself, as well as be addressed with the desired title, is a huge exercise in autonomy and taking up space for many Black people.

Over the last few years, we’ve had the privilege of sharing our experience, vision, and stories with community in the form of large murals. We have been literally taking up space. This collection is a mashup of all of these past public art pieces. It’s a bold celebration of color, Blackness, femme energy, and the ancestors who may not have had the autonomy that we practice but taught us how to practice it.

This series has 7 pieces that range from 14″x14″ – 18″x 20″

We are thrilled to partner with @1xrun to bring you a very limited print series. The prints will go live on Wednesday, June 1 at 12:00pm ET.

The original pieces are available through Paradigm Gallery click here to purchase