Valued 1999

Emma Amos created "Valued" using a collage of painting, printed fabric, and kente cloth, yielding a rich visual tapestry. At first glance, you are struck by the figures and the vibrant contrasts. The central arrangement of athletic men, their raised fists and muscular bodies, are set against a backdrop of soft hues. The decorative border suggests economic currency. Looking closer, we see how Amos disrupts conventional representation. The men’s gazes challenge viewers, asserting their presence within an art world that has historically marginalized Black figures. The artist plays with notions of value: material wealth versus the intrinsic worth of the individual. The bodies are well defined and rendered with the gaze of classical sculpture, yet the artist's expressionistic brushwork destabilizes established meanings. The framing is both constricting and supportive, pushing us to question how society imposes limits based on race and gender. The work’s enduring power resides in this complex interplay of form and context. "Valued" is an ongoing dialogue about identity, power, and the ever-shifting nature of interpretation.