Blind Woman is my artistic interpretation of Deborah “DEEP” Mouton’s mythology piece The Women Who Were Blind, from her book Black Chameleon: Memory, Womanhood, and Myth. The basis of the mythos dealt with a rite of passage in which the village mothers who bore female children would take the sight of their daughters so that they would not have to endure seeing the horrors of the world. It was their belief that it is easy to forget what you can not see. The Women Who Were Blind called it mercy.

Over time the Women Who Were Blind would hold their new daughters’ hands and walk them through the forest, teaching them how to hear ahead and feel their feet anew. The main characters consisted of the mother Fumbe and her newborn daughter Eshe.   

I incorporated elements of the story to emphasize the significance of motherhood and the fears that accompany a mother as she contemplates her daughter’s uncertain future. The eyes—drawn from Rihanna and Beyoncé—symbolize how women are frequently sexualized and objectified, to the extent that society often overlooks their many other valuable qualities. The escalator throat symbolizes the profound impact of a mother’s words, which can either uplift or diminish someone depending on how they are spoken. The concrete heart represents a mother’s unwavering strength and unconditional love. In the lower right, the Jordan 10 serves as a reminder of how we’re conditioned to prioritize materialism and consumerism. However, what’s truly important is guiding our children’s steps through life, which far outweighs the shoes that we put on their feet.