Nina Mae Fowler British, b. 1981
Fan Girl: Dorothy, 2026
pencil on paper, linen, eyelets, ostrich feathers
80 x 60 x 2 cm
31 1/2 x 23 1/2 x 3/4 ins
31 1/2 x 23 1/2 x 3/4 ins
Dorothy Dandridge — Cleveland, Ohio Born in Cleveland, Dorothy Dandridge began performing as a child before becoming a celebrated singer and actress. Carmen Jones made her the first Black woman...
Dorothy Dandridge — Cleveland, Ohio
Born in Cleveland, Dorothy Dandridge began performing as a child before becoming a celebrated singer and actress. Carmen Jones made her the first Black woman nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, yet Hollywood offered her few roles equal to that recognition. She died aged 42. In the drawing, Dandridge stands wide-legged at a microphone in trousers, caught in the physical act of performing. White ostrich feathers impose a showgirl skirt upon her trousered body, simultaneously invoking and disrupting glamorous femininity. What the feathers conceal, the trousers reveal: a woman whose identity exceeds the narrow role constructed for her.
Born in Cleveland, Dorothy Dandridge began performing as a child before becoming a celebrated singer and actress. Carmen Jones made her the first Black woman nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, yet Hollywood offered her few roles equal to that recognition. She died aged 42. In the drawing, Dandridge stands wide-legged at a microphone in trousers, caught in the physical act of performing. White ostrich feathers impose a showgirl skirt upon her trousered body, simultaneously invoking and disrupting glamorous femininity. What the feathers conceal, the trousers reveal: a woman whose identity exceeds the narrow role constructed for her.
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