Speaking Tongue is a book published on the occasion of the exhibition of the same name at Dashwood Projects (November 20—December 21).
Speaking Tongue, the show’s title is named after giraffes and their long black tongues and how they communicate but also is a reference to my own background as a poet, my experience as the granddaughter of a Baptist preacher and the idea of speaking in tongues when one is possessed by the spirit. I was moved by the animal spirits around me on the Mara and at Lake Nakuru. And as a tall person myself I was captivated by the massive height of giraffes, and their elegant gait. It’s imperative to mention that Nairobi, Kenya, this summer has been embroiled in protests, a younger population protesting against higher taxes and fees and government corruption. I hope to have captured my spellbinding journey in these images.
Driven by curiosity, art, poetry, inquiry and adventure I’ve traveled to places in West Africa, spent some time in Ghana and Benin and South Africa. These journeys have been life altering, have been educational and informed my identity as an African American Queer poet, visual artist, performer and also as someone who is part of a diaspora. I was curious about East Africa and decided to spend three weeks in Nairobi, Kenya and while there also treated myself to a safari at Maasai Mara, Kenya. My experience with animal life had really been limited to zoos and house pets so the experience of seeing wild animals in their natural habitat was educational, majestic, illuminating, inspiring and moving. I was overcome by their beauty, movement, dignity, and intelligence. As a way of documenting my experience and paying homage to these animals I painted them in watercolour and ink hoping to capture their essence. – Pamela Sneed
20 pages, 13.3 x 17.8 cm, softcover, Dashwood Books (New York).