In the Becoming is a new solo exhibition by Cinthia Sifa Mulanga at Goodman Gallery. Mulanga's paintings depict black women in interior spaces and they reflect on the personal experiences of black women as well as the social pressures imposed upon them. The individuals in her paintings are on the one hand grappling with these idealised and racialised ideas while on the other, trying to move beyond them and define themselves.
"The moments I create in domestic spaces are dialogues between perceived beauty standards, and stereotypes which function to both challenge and embrace Black women." – Mulanga
By warping the architectural spaces her figures occupy, and using surrealist elements to distort the figures themselves, Mulanga creates saturated paintings that critique and break free from societal conventions around beauty. Her dream-like paintings are on show at Goodman Gallery and are well worth clearing a spot in the calendar to go and see.
