“And Their Offerings” is a six panel, three part painting series of diptychs focusing on three subjects and their belongings. Cyé, Matt, and Maddie were asked what objects they would bring with them to the afterlife as offerings to cross into a different realm, what objects they would want immortalized as a representation of their beliefs, personalities, and identities. Often, a person’s objects can provide insight into what they hold closest - “And Their Offerings” tells these stories with portraiture and still life juxtaposed side by side.
Cyé’s offerings in their words:
“It was up to me to think of what represented me most accurately, what I was made out of. This experience was so organic, I quite literally took things that laid around my bedroom, that hung from my body. Throughout this decade, I have lost, I have conquered, I have listened, I have been silenced, I have been broken and I have healed. These specific objects have their own offering that was given to me, to become who I am today and who I will always be. To my mother who I lost within this decade and whom I miss dearly. To Solange, who I found myself in. To Amy Winehouse, whose voice taught me about the power of love. To Beach House, who carries the memories of my best friend and I on their backs. To James Baldwin, who reopened my love for writing. Who taught me how to love my blackness, and all that comes with it. To my favorite necklace that my grandmother gifted to me.”
Both panels are acrylic paint and gloss varnish on 18x24 inch (45x70 centimeter) canvas.
