Laylah Ali

American, born 1968

Untitled

© Laylah Ali

Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

download

© Laylah Ali

Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

© Laylah Ali

Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

Untitled, 2001

Artwork Details

Materials

gouache and colored pencil on paper

Measurements

sheet: 8 1/8 x 11 9/16 inches (20.64 x 29.37 cm); framed: 13 7/8 x 17 1/8 x 1 1/4 inches (35.24 x 43.5 x 3.18 cm)

Collection Buffalo AKG Art Museum

Credit

Charles Clifton Fund, 2001

Accession ID

2001:12

Laylah Ali addresses thought-provoking questions of race and politics through her small figurative paintings. Although seemingly simple, the works are meticulously constructed; lines are precisely drawn and color is delicately applied. Her subjects usually recall comic book characters. They are anthropomorphic beings, without discernible gender or race, who personify intense power struggles. Ali evokes childhood in this drawing by using primary colors; recognizable motifs, like red-caped oddball superheroes; and the comedic violence so commonly featured in cartoon reality.

Label from Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One: Humor and Satire from the Collection, November 19, 2016–March 19, 2017

Other Works by This Artist