GRACE ENEMAKU

GRAPHIC DESIGNER, ILLUSTRATOR

“'Black Girl Magic' celebrates Black femininity. It frames Black women as goddesses of nature, drawing power from the elements. It’s an image rarely seen, certainly not historically in fine art paintings or the rewriting of history and religion and so this became a contemporary take on classical portraiture. The series aims to give Black women a representation of ourselves that reflects our innate beauty and power, while allowing us a softness and vulnerability that we are often denied. Aspects of black girl culture have been exaggerated and reinterpreted, seen in the long acrylic nails as art pieces and magical hair that defies gravity. The blend of photography and illustration allows the subjects to be immersed in a fantasy world of lavender pastels and burning flames.”

BLACK & MAGICAL

“There is magic in being Black. And it is born not only from our shared experiences of suffering, but from our creativity and our deep kinship. Our creative influence puts us at the forefront of counterculture until it becomes THE culture. As a young girl I struggled with my biracial identity as though I felt Black, the world didn’t always see it that way. But the magic was always in me and when I found my people I bloomed. My Blackness has connected me with my soul sisters and through it, they know me in ways others never will.”