Fatima Fletcher-
National Graphic
1953
Volume CIII
Number One
About the artwork:
This artwork is a video piece based upon a January 1953 page of national Geographic showing toucans. To my surprise there is very little actual information about toucans supporting the 2 photographs and what there is is shrouded in silly made up text. It imagines the toucans are in New York, there is a reference to their noisy call and to the fact (true or false) that they can bite a human finger off with their fibrous beaks.
These three spurious observations form the basis for my piece – New York, their unpleasant voice and their finger facility 🙂
Until receiving this page I had thought that National Geographic was a serious travel/nature magazine, maybe it was just in 1950’s America that facts had to become partly silly to be communicated.
I have supplied a still image from the video piece which actually exists on Vimeo in video form:
About Fatima:
I work on paper and use video and sound to make my art. I plunder history and am always influenced by my surroundings.
I love using video to be presented on a wall alongside paintings and drawings.
I predominantly make portraits, using family and friends as models. Last year 2021 I produced a set of anachronistic portraits in ink and acrylics on large sheets of Fabriano, taking famous old masters as their starting point and using contemporary models and props.
I am just completing 2 new sets of large ink and painted works addressing the danger and fear women still face walking alone at night and having to hold keys as a potential weapons for self defense. ‘Look behind you’ and ‘It’s a thin line’ can be seen on my website:
http://fatimafletcher.com
I take commissions and my work is for sale.
I have exhibitions of my work coming up in May and October/November in Taipei, Taiwan.