L.A. Louver debuts new energetic artwork by Alison Saar in an exhibition titled “Uproot,” currently on view through March 11. In a powerful dedication to the fortitude of Black women, Saar journeys into the historical truths of Black womanhood within the realms of gender inequality and reproductive rights in the United States. In Mutiny of the Sable Venus (2022), the artist connects imagery of the Sable Venus, known as a heinous misrepresentation of the transatlantic slave trade, Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People (1830), and the Yemaya water deity of reproductive health directly to her own sculpture work, reinventing the Sable Venus as a guarding, restorative symbol.
As a direct reaction to the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court, Saar imparts the history of African American herbalism and self-induced abortions by enslaved people through painted canvas sacks which were once used for harvesting cotton. In additional works, Saar both celebrates the virtues of Black hair while alluding to the straightening products that have been known to cause uterine cancer. Through fierce creativity and enlightenment, Saar pays tribute to the bravery of Black women against ever-evolving adversity.
