The Motherland Calls

© the artist. Image credit: Autograph

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This photograph is one of a series commissioned by Autograph in which Silvestri responded to the idea of 'Care | Contagion | Community – Self & Other' by taking the charged political rhetoric adopted by both mainstream media and politicians during the coronavirus pandemic as a point of departure. She linked phrases such as 'we are all in this together' or 'fighting against an invisible enemy' with imperial narratives and wartime sentiments. For Silvestri, these slogans not only recall her formative years living in Eritrea under authoritarian communist regimes, but they also expose striking parallels between Britain's imperial past and the present. Using exposure as both metaphor and device, Silvestri highlights the devastating impact of COVID-19 on frontline workers of colour by 'infecting' her digital drawing collage and portrait works with commodity substances such as coffee, tea, sugar or cocoa, creating coloured coronal splashes on the artworks – further amplifying the notion of 'contagion'.

Autograph

London

Title

The Motherland Calls

Date

2020

Medium

cacao, coffee, tea, sugar, tobacco & pigment ink on cotton fabric

Measurements

H 102 x W 79 cm

Accession number

AS.CCOTFL.04

Acquisition method

commissioned by Autograph for 'Care I Contagion I Community – Self & Other'

Work type

Photograph

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Autograph

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