She briefly studied costume design early in her college career her training in theatricality is still very much evident in the intricate masks and flashy costumes of the Divas. Though she has not always referred to herself as a visual artist, sketching and drawing has been a part of her life since childhood. Vendryes is a noted art historian and scholar on the work of Harlem Renaissance figurative sculptor Richmond Barthé. These are not performers merely hiding behind a physical object rather they are imbued with the power of their mask, making them strong, determined, beautiful, and sensual in their own right and on their own terms. The Divas persist, however, resilient against an environment demanding confirmation to a specific packaging, presentation, and mentality. Yet the figures are still surrounded by song titles and lyrics tying them back to an industry largely designed and dominated by men. Informed by feminist ideology, Vendryes removes the performers from their original image and provides them with masks usually worn by men, thus liberating the Divas from album covers rife with western patriarchal notions of beauty and sexuality. “Side A” is followed by a new group of works, “Side B,” where the painted paper masks are replaced by eye-catching actual African masks, adding a dimensionality to the paintings that invites interaction between the viewer and the Diva.
#Project canvas dc comics series#
This initial painting inspired the first series of The African Diva Project, entitled “Side A,” which depicts full-figure portraits of soloists wearing masks painted on paper then applied to the canvas. Vendryes reinterpreted the image as Donnalyn Summeroe in which Summer (as Monroe) dons a mask and stands surrounded by her song titles and lyrics. The series began in 2005 when Vendryes was gifted with a copy of Donna Summer’s album Four Seasons of Love, which featured a striking image of the singer posed as Marilyn Monroe. Traditionally, such masks are worn almost exclusively by men to dance the parts of both male and female deities and ancestors by placing these masks on female music legends, Vendryes empowers her Divas while also questioning the role of race, gender, and beauty in contemporary society. The figures wear African masks, chosen specifically for each Diva based upon compatibility of character and aesthetic.
Each canvas in the series is modelled after an LP cover or promotional image featuring a famous black female performer. Margaret Rose Vendryes’ African Diva Project confronts issues surrounding cultural and gender identity through the marriage of popular western and traditional African imagery.
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