Created 1988

Komako Kimura, Frida Kahlo and Harriet Tubman with inset of my grandmother Victoria at her first Holy Communion: An early 1988 signature work by the artist, depicting four heroic women including a small inset with a photo of the artist's grandmother at her first holy communion. The work celebrates alternate readings of identity and history from a woman's perspective. Kimura Komako, the famous Japanese actress, dancer, activist and suffragette travelled to the US in 1917 to make connections with the Women's Suffragette Party hoping to learn from the movement and help the cause of women's rights in Japan. She is ironically portrayed in traditional dress and whiteface. Artist Frida Kahlo also dressed in traditional dress in Mexico, celebrating indigenous culture and her particular and personal journey. The pivotal legacy of Harriet Tubman one of the creators of the Underground Railroad that helped slaves escape to 'free' states continues to be explored more than 30 years after the creation of this work. Private collection.