#zabat

Zabat (1989)

Zabat is a series of portraits of creative Black women by Maud Sulter (19 September 1960 – 27 February 2008), who was a contemporary fine artist, poet, playwright, writer and feminist of Ghanaian and Scottish heritage. 

“The series is called Zabat and shows each woman as one of the nine Greek muses. The word Zabat describes an ancient ritual dance performed by women on occasions of power, and her use of it signifies Maud Sulter's call for a repositioning of black women in the history of photography.

Maud Sulter produced the Zabat series for Rochdale Art Gallery in 1989, the 150th anniversary of the invention of photography. It was a direct response to the lack of a black presence at other celebratory events and exhibitions. Here we see the conventions of Victorian portrait photography under the command of a black woman photographer. The backdrop, props and pose are all retained but the image is transformed with African clothes, non-European objects and, most importantly, by the resolute black woman at its centre.”  

I recall Zabats being completely annoying to fight with their stupid bombs that take off 1/3(?) of your health.