You don’t have to have a staunch passion for art to have heard of Trinidadian artist Nneka Jones. In fact, the vast majority of people will have seen her work whether they know it or not.
US-based Nneka’s most famous piece was memorably splashed on the cover of Time magazine in August 2020. It was an image of her depiction of the American flag – only it featured black stripes bleeding into red thread instead of the traditional red, white and blue colours.
The cover read: “The New American Revolution.” For context, this was just two months after the murder of George Floyd, when a historical and cultural shift was being instigated through the Black Lives Matter movement. Almost two years later this piece conjures up many emotions and is ultimately a true testament to the artist’s talent.
Nneka has now spoken out about her motivation when creating art, saying that she wants to make the public ‘slow down, stop and digest’ social issues. She told ArtNews: “It’s necessary to have conversations about how to move forward and make positive changes for future generations of colour to have an equal and unified space.”
We’re sure many people will agree that this is a very worthy mission for Nneka – not to mention one that will resonate for many others artists across the world. In particular, she’s not afraid to shy away from subjects that can sometimes be deemed taboo outside the art world.
Just look no further than her ongoing series titled ‘Target’, in which she shines a light on the trafficking of women and girls of colour. Nneka is from Trinidad and Tobago, so she uses her work to bring to people’s attention to the sexual exploitation that women can face in the Caribbean.
She does, indeed, make the public ‘slow down, stop and digest’. There’s no denying that what she’s doing is working.
This is the power of Nneka’s work, which is disguisable through featuring layered thread in her work. It’s a skill that she first picked up when she was a young girl watching her mother sew.
The work she produces through this medium not only tells the stories of women who most need to be heard but also uplifts them in the process.
Speaking to Global Voices last year, she explained the effect that she wants her work to have on people. Nneka revealed:
“I would hope that my art could cause someone to reflect within themselves – almost like a mirror to society – and truly ask how they are contributing to what is currently taking place, and what they can do better to improve the world we live in.”
We know that many artists will feel inspired by Nneka. Others will feel that her words and her motivation ring true for them too.
At Kreol Magazine, we’re constantly driven by our belief in the unreasonable power of hope. Therefore, we’d love to hear from any artists who in any way see even just a bit of themselves or their work in Nneka.
It’s our goal to give people the platform in which they can also lead conversations about important issues from different cultures. Together we can work to make sure that audiences and collectors to ‘slow down, stop and digest’ the subjects that really deserve our attention.