During my time as an artist-in-residence in New Jersey, USA in the summer of 2019 I had the opportunity to meet my half brother for the first time. This portrait looks to encapsulate an extremely significant moment in both of our lives.
With the subtle gesture of a smile creating a sense of warmth to the viewer, representative of the demeaner of my brother. ‘Sierra ‘Murican’ is a satirical play on the somewhat archaic notion of the ‘American dream’ maintained by many immigrants. Having grown up in Sierra Leone and moving to the US as a teenager, my brother had to overcome many adversities of the infamous Sierra Leonean civil war.
The silkscreen print background of the American flag with Sierra Leonean colours acts as a motif representing disenfranchised minorities and immigrants in the US. Showing a converse image of the farcical propaganda of their capitalist dogma masquerading as ‘the American dream’.
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