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Alanna Airitam
Weekend at Nana's, 2019
Archival pigment print, 20 x 16 inches
Edition 3/10, signed, on mount
Mounted, unframed
Courtesy of the artist
Estimated value: $3,200
My brothers and I would spend every weekend with my grandmother in Queens, New York. I always looked forward to those visits. Most weekends were the same. We’d wake up on Saturday morning to the smell of hot pancakes and bacon. After breakfast, my grandmother would lovingly comb and braid my hair as I sat on the floor between her knees watching Soul Train. When she was done, I’d sneak a strawberry-flavored hard candy from the bowl in the living room and climb out the kitchen window to sit on the roof and daydream for the afternoon while watching people and cars go back and forth on the street below. This photo is in memory of my grandmother, Enid Grace Lewis, and the love she put into my scalp through her hands.
About the Artist:
Alanna Airitam
Alanna Airitam is a photographer currently residing in Tucson, Arizona. Inspired by her lifelong contemplation of history, social justice, spirituality, and relationships, Airitam incorporates a variety of materials such as gold, resin, metal, and varnish into her finished photographic pieces to tell a more balanced and honest version of African American history and identity.
After a very busy 2020, Airitam is taking most of 2021 to focus on her current project, "Old Home Place" (2020–) about the land her enslaved ancestors inherited in North Carolina. Her upcoming exhibitions include a group show at Tucson Museum of Art and Bernal Gallery, Tucson, AZ. Airitam’s work is held in both private and public collections, including Virginia Museum of Fine Art.
Website: alannaairitam.com
Instagram: @alannaairitam
Venmo: @alanna-airitam
