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a3 blackface #53, 2003
Acrylic on paper

“iona ROZEAL brown's most recent paintings are an unprecedented mixture of anonymous courtesans, geishas, and other Japanese subjects. She explores the theme of Afro-Asiatic allegory, addressing the global influence of African-American culture as fetish. In her paint, brown intertextually juxtaposes color and texture, a technique that parallels her artistry as a DJ. Both practices emerge from a process of self-sampling and remixing, devices employed by media to create its own endless permutations or representations and meanings. Throughout her work, brown brings a subversive reading to her art, and manipulates hyper self-conscious imagery to articulate contemporary concerns regarding race, gender, and class.”—i.R.b.