Cornerstone by Ajamu Olushegun Iyapo
Medium: Mixed media (cardboard, cloth, acrylic, ink, colored pencil)
Size: 10.75 x 13.25
2024
This piece was submitted to the “This is Me Art Show“.
Artist statement: “Meaning: To resemble a carved granite cornerstone. This is to say that my life still has value and the strength to be the cornerstone of my family and the community. The engraved metal is written in “Afrikan Diasporic
Glypgh”, a Diasporic Afrikan writing-style. Message written in ADG: This is me, a creation of god, who is more than any title bestowed upon me by man. I am an amalgamation of diverse educational, familial, spiritual, and artistic ideologies that reflect many in society. Simply stated, this is me a human being, flaws and all, and truely blessed.”
Read Ajamu’s pamphlet about the writing system he created as a way of creating a cultural sense of pride, dignity, power, and as a way of uniting people of Afrikan descent in America and other areas of the diaspora.
Image description: The painting’s surface has been rendered to look like a steel plate, adorned with a bird and flowers that are patterned in vibrant colors and traditional African patterns. In the center of the plate is another placard that appears to be screwed into the surface, and displays writing in Afrikan Diasporic Glyph.