Cultural Illustration

The story of Anansi is one that has been passed down through West African families for generations, a part man part spider, seeker of knowledge and trickster. When looking at it and my own heritage it became clear that the effect of the slave trade had moulded these stories into different forms when passed down through areas of displacement.

These illustrations take a look at how that story may have changed whether in modern West Africa, the Caribbean and African American retellings. Looking at how the new found culture of each shapes the folk-tales of dispersed peoples.

Each of these spiders represents a culture, whether it be the Anansi as traditional carvings in wood and gold, with Papa Legba tones, the enlightenment of the Scholar, indictment of US prison systems or representations of death. Each one shows how our cultural stories change over time and location.

This then extended by them being modular pieces that can be used to create new stories by blending accessories and colours.