Afropatian Series

Photo credits: Isaura Angulo
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Isaura Angulo Delgado

2018
Acrylic on paper
105 x 226 cm

This piece celebrates the richness and contributions of women in the process of Afro-descendant advocacy throughout history. Through a range of intricate and meaningful hairstyles—such as braids, cangas, crinejas, motiaos, dreadlocks and Bantu buns—the work highlights a sophisticated system of bodily communication used as part of the struggle against slavery and discrimination. Angulo calls for the “deconstruction of social stereotypes” rooted in colonial notions of ethnicity, gender, and class. The artwork challenges Article 176 of the Political Constitution, which establishes special constituencies to guarantee the representation of Afro-descendant communities in the House of Representatives. In practice, however, material conditions do not always allow for the full realisation of this right.