Sonya Clark

copper

In the mid-1970s when I was growing up, a “coppertone tan” was the desirable skin color. I relate to the color of the metal because it is the color of my skin. In anthroposophical medicine, copper alleviates poor memory. By using copper, I reconnect with my ancestry and reawaken lost memories of cultural identity. Metaphysically, the redness of the metal is said to reflect lineage. Copper veins are likened to the blood of the earth, the blood of our mothers, and therefore heritage.

“Her inventive use of forms and bright colors make this work a strong statement of cultural identity.”

—Monica Blackmun Visona, Michael Harris, et al
A History of Art in Africa