EYED-ENTITY (2019) by Cypris Afakasi

EYED-ENTITY by South Auckland-based artist and performer, Cypris Afakasi, was produced for the Vunilagi Vou exhibition project, Finding Emory: A Poster Show (2019). This poster is one of a series of seven original works inspired by the iconic aesthetic of Emory Douglas, former Minister of Culture for the Black Panther Party. From the controversial trial of armed Police response units in South Auckland to the ongoing indoctrination of imposed body / faith politics, the seven artworks spoke directly to shifts and changes that affected the lives of indigenous people in the South Pacific / Moana Oceania in 2019. EYED-ENTITY (2019)

EYE-ENTITY combs through the feelings of body dysmorphia experienced after colonial bleaching. This includes being disenfranchised from your own cultures, binary life expectations that become imposed on you through family, how government institutions such as school and work subtly teach and indoctrinate you to hate yourself if you’re anything but a ...