DEAF

8 × 10 inches
Oil on canvas
2010
SOLD

Description

DEAF explores Deaf studies, Deaf culture, Deaf community, and Deafhood as interconnected dimensions of Deaf identity and collective experience. Painted in 2010, the work was created in the context of Deaf Awareness Month as a visual affirmation of Deaf life, language, and community.

The painting incorporates the ASL fingerspelling handshapes D, E, A, and F, transforming the letters of DEAF into visual forms. Each handshape is accompanied by words that represent values and principles important to Deaf communities, including inclusion, advocacy, access, identity, language, culture, and community.

By combining fingerspelling with these concepts, the painting emphasizes that being Deaf encompasses far more than an audiological condition. Deafness can be understood as a cultural, linguistic, and communal identity grounded in shared language, history, experience, and collective advocacy.