Adreinne Waheed
BREATHE, 2020

photo lithograph with inkjet chine-collé on Fabriano paper
24”H x 17” W

Artwork Statement:

Black women throughout time have been vessels for liberation and midwives of change. From abolition to Black Lives Matter, African American women have been the bedrock of many movements. In my Image “BREATHE”, I have captured a young woman as she leads a protest against the violence perpetrated against Black and Brown Americans. Her sign bears the names of just a few of the many killed at the hands of systemic racism in this country. In contrast, the background depicts a majority white mob of Trump supporters charging towards and taking over the US Capital as the police remain trained on the Black woman. This image symbolizes what it feels like to be in my (marching) shoes - a Black woman, an American fighting just to be treated equally under the law. This image also illustrates the continuum of Black women’s role as the ark - disrupting systematic oppression by carrying the torch, leading us through dark times and troubled waters. I am a visual artist whose work bears witness to and holds space for the beauty, brilliance and resilience of Black folks across the Diaspora. My life’s work is to illuminate our stories.

Artist Bio:

Adreinne Waheed is a visual artist based in Berkeley, California. Her work has been published by the New York Times, British Vogue, National Geographic, I-D, deVolkskrant, PDN, and the Massachusetts Review. She has exhibited at BredaPhoto 2020, Rush Arts, Long Gallery Harlem, Betti Ono Gallery, and SFMOMA Artists Gallery. In 2015, the Smithsonian’s NAAMHC acquired Waheed’s archive of found images. Her photo book, Black Joy and Resistance, was released in 2018. Ms. Waheed is a 2019 EFA SIP Fellow.