ALI, Laylah

2001

Softground, hardground, aquatint, drypoint, and roulette on Rives BFK paper, 16/50

22 1/2 x 22 1/2" PAPER

Print of circular heads with various expressions in green, black and cream positioned within a light blue square. Signature and date on reverse at lower right corner.Laylah Ali’s colorful, cartoon-like print shows several heads sporting skull caps with expressions that range from anger and bewilderment to suspicion and fear. Although the exact subject of her works remain mysterious, Ali often references power relations as an underlying motif. She sees such ideas at work in the school game of dodgeball: “I’ve always been fascinated by dodgeball. I just read in the paper the other day that there was somebody trying to get rid of dodgeball. Finally! I mean, I don’t know how long it’s going to take to wake up to the fact that this is a cruel game where the weakest get targeted. There’s something from my childhood—that dodgeball. Being the only black child in a white elementary school, dodgeball was not enjoyable.”

2001

ALI, Laylah

United States, b. 1926

Gift of Exit Art, New York

2012.009.001.003