PASSING II Sibling piece to Unapologetically Black: PASSING Created May 26, 2022 Passing II continues the conversation begun in Unapologetically Black, but approaches racial passing from a different psychological space. If the first work is about leaving the self behind, this piece feels more like the self being divided. The face is physically fragmented. The eyes the part of the face we often associate with recognition, identity, and being seen have been distorted and concealed, while the mouth remains visible. That contrast is important to me. The person can still speak, but can they still be recognised? Can they still recognise themselves? The mirrored facial structure creates the feeling of looking at two versions of the same person: the person they are and the person they have had to become. I also wanted the image to feel almost uncomfortable in its symmetry. It suggests that passing isn’t necessarily a complete transformation into someone else. There can be a constant negotiation between identities, a person moving through the world while carrying an identity that cannot always be revealed.