Signed, titled, and dated verso: “Malinke Shirley – 2010 African Diva – Margaret Rose Vendryes – MV 11”.
Malinke Shirley (featuring Shirley Bassey wearing a Malinke mask) is a work from the artist’s African Diva Project, which explores the role of gender in African cultures and in contemporary society. Each square canvas is modeled after an LP cover featuring a Black female music legend wearing an African tribal mask. While these masks are traditionally danced by men – even when representing female deities or ancestors – Vendryes uses them to empower the divas, giving these dynamic female performers agency and protection by replacing their psychological masks with literal ones.
