Poppin’ Her Cherry – by Artist Antoinette Ellis-Williams

Antoinette Ellis-Williams says, she explores the layers of her own identity—blackness, girl/womanhood, mother, wife, and immigrant—in the context of popular culture, power, politics, religion/faith, history, music, social movements and socioeconomics. The work is a commentary on the textured lives of marginalized people. She creates pieces as a way of unpacking rage, pain, contradictions, beauty, agency and joy constantly trying to understand the complex history and narrative of blackness in the United States and black the diaspora. Social justice themes emerge in her work.

She states the images invite the viewer to consider the ongoing effects of racism, sexism, homophobia, environmental injustice and xenophobia on humanity. The victim narrative is not her point; rather, it is one of transformation through positive memories of family, hope, education, faith, humor, love and vision. It is through reimagining the dichotomies that we find flowers in urban spaces, children moving and laughing in poverty, women sipping wine with sister-friends loving one another through shared pain, and men boldly pressing forward knowing they are the target of the criminal justice system.

Lot #58676