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Right to Be Deaf Series
Painting No. 8 Oppression

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Oppression 16 inch by 20 inch oil on canvas $360 see enlarged picture.

Description about the painting:

I am working on a series "Right to Be Deaf," Painting No. 8, "Oppression."

This painting is inspired by Frida Kahlo's "Ford Hospital" and Jacob Lawrence's "The Ordeal of Alice" and David Call's "Me Your Mother."

There are five motifs in the painting that focuses on De'VIA Deaf experiences. Mother of All Deaf Souls, Blue Tape, Arrows and Button Eyes. These are the five motifs.

1. Mother of All Deaf Souls, inspired by David Call, is an affirmative motif- natural sign language, strength, purity, Deaf birthright, preservation of Deaf communities for generations to come. Mother of All Deaf Souls is a mythical fertile mother of all Deaf Souls.

2. Blue Tape-is a resistance motif, refers to tied down, audism, and oppression.

3. Arrows-is a resistance motif, means attacking, harming, trying to kill or stop or destroy.

4. Button Eyes-is a resistance motif, means no visual acuity or input, no state of agency or autonomy, a doll, toy, void of independence.

5. Body Hole-is a resistance motif, means black hole on Deaf bodies, Deaf Disempowerment, Identity taken away. Feeling “gone.”

The painting overall, explains that, the Mother of All Deaf Souls, lying in bed, she is suffering the pain, pierced with arrows and blue taped around hands. She is signing very weak, "help." This refers to Deaf babies being implanted, and each time Deaf babies get implanted, Mother of All Deaf Souls gets pierced with arrows and the Deaf culture is slowly dying, each day. She is suffering and is weak and needs help, to stop the spread of implanting on Deaf babies. Our Deaf rights have been taken away. Our Deaf identies are taken away. Our natural beauty of sign language is taken away. Our whole being, is taken away.

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Nancy Rourke paintings copyright. 2015
Last updated May 29, 2015