Lynette Yiadom-Boakye Lynette Yiadom-Boakye
(b. London, United Kingdom 1977)
Lives and works in London, UK
Lamp Lighter, 2012, oil on canvas
Collection of Dr. Robert B. Feldman
Lynette Yiadom-Boakye transcribes imaginings of fictional people, collaged together from bits of her own memories or poses of photographic inspiration to form a story. A portrait of an individual can be seen as a simple subject, a stand in for every woman or man. In Lamp Lighter, the subject looks away from the viewer into a dim space where any story may arise from the viewer’s own imagination, using the title as a way to light the fire of creativity and resistance. She is a representation of a person entering the museum or gallery space, the cannon of Art History, normalizing the presence of a person of color. Reminiscent of a William Merritt Chase, the figure is classically portrayed yet contemporary in her presence and elusive gaze away from the viewer.