Listen While We Wait examines themes of intimacy, and moments where the self is reflected in that individual's surroundings. This piece interrogates understandings of specifically Black American culture and the way this culture is articulated in a private space. The wallpaper exists as an extension of African textiles and clothes, however it is not a replica. This close likeness but individuality of pattern reflects the ways in which Black American identity is a hodgepodge of cultures and identities that birthed anew. I am also interested in the usage of the subject's gaze, and what it means to address the viewer specifically juxtaposed to traditional reclining feminine forms that often are represented in portraiture that typically shy away from direct eye contact. I'm interested in what these spaces of intimacy imply in relation to our perspective of her as a Black woman in her own space. Although this space, being a living room, is and private and intimate space, the way the subject directly addresses the viewer through her gaze, opens it up to the public, exploring notions of private vs public. This exploration of public and private functions as a reflection of the access society has given to the Black female form, and how it is typically presented as something to be consumed by the public.
