The COLOUR Project

COLOUR is a creative collaboration with the purpose of exploring the dynamic existence of African American women in America. It seeks to question what it means to be a black woman: the different shades, sizes, forms, and crowns (hair & hijab included) and challenge European beauty standards (hence the intentional British spelling of "Colour"). Each muse is assigned a "color", theme, and her own unique poem written by Ruqa Martins. Photographs in this powerful collection have won multiple awards, including the Photography Merit Award at the 62nd Annual Les Farrington's Best 100 Juried Art Exhibition.


Creative Director: Aisha Adedayo

Photography: Aisha Adedayo

Editing: Aisha Adedayo

Poetry: Ruqa Martins

ICE

They say black women are 

Cold as ice

But I think we’re more 

Icy; Precious like diamonds

Boss black businesses 

We’re going to start an empire

Hair, makeup, and nails are always 

Done, but we’re far from finished 

Stares that can freeze your heart 

We’re icy together, you can’t tear us apart

BLOOD

My red royalty flows 

In my veins and every month

African blood is what I claim 

We will reclaim and reign

Our thrones like

Nefertiti

Nzingha 

And Queen of Sheba 

Queenship is in my D.N.A. 

Divine Negus Association

  • Ruqa Martins

HONEY

They don’t know that our 

Hearts are sweet like honey

And our skin is worth more 

Than gold. When the 

Sun hits our flesh

We shine 24 karats

24/7. Having these

People buzz like honey bees

Love us don’t fetishize 

Cherish our honey 

  • Ruqa Martins

IVY

My melanin is brown

But society thinks I’m green 

Green with jealousy and envy

They think ivy is poison

They don’t know my meaning

Glowing internally for an eternity

True to me, no infidelity 

The growth of a black woman

From my natural curls to my natural self

I am ivy

  • Ruqa Martins


IVORY


They take elephants tusk for 

Ivory to make tools

They took my people and 

Used them the same way. Eyes no longer

Brown, I see white eyes with no hope

But the elephant is wisdom, strength

And power. Even with so much

Taken and stolen, we still stand 

With wisdom, with strength

With power

  • Ruqa Martins

AMERICAN HYPOCRISY

What does it mean to be a minority in America? Why are black men and women silenced for simply taking up space? This series of visual art pieces explore the hypocritical nature of American democracy: a false promise of "liberty and justice for all" . It also deep dives into the struggle of maintaining your multi-faceted identity in a country that is constantly trying to mold and change you.

BECOMING (previously "Untitled Portrait")

This piece represents my struggles with identity as a Nigerian Muslim woman growing up in America. It is a dichotomy: representing how I am losing part of myself while also becoming someone new in the process.

Awards:

  • Presidential Award,  62nd Annual Les Farrington's Best 100 Juried Art Exhibition
  • Grand Prize, 2019 Congressional Art Competition
  • Silver Key, 2019 Scholastic Arts & Writing Awards

*hung on the walls of the "Canon Tunnel" inside the U.S. Capitol Building, D.C.*

AMERICAN HYPOCRISY

The foundational or "title" piece of the American Hypocrisy series. It represents how American society often times limits and silences black males with its biases, stereotypes, and preconceived notions. The rings on the hand further emphasizes how black people are systematically disenfranchised and limited by the American economy. The hypocrisy is in deep contrast between the treatment of black people in America and the foundational ideals of our nation: liberty, freedom, and justice for all.

WE'VE CROSSED THE THIN BLUE LINE*

The thin blue line is a phrase that refers figuratively to the position of police in society as the force which holds back chaos, allowing order and civilization to thrive. But what happens when police officers become the cause of chaos? This is where we (as a nation) have crossed the thin blue line.


The increase of police brutality against black men and women has made many feel that police officers only protect and serve some American citizens, contradictory of their duty to serve all.

Mistreated

This confrontational piece has won the 2020 Scholastic Arts & Writing Silver Key for Visual Arts Award.

It explores the treatment of black women throughout American history by challenging the viewer's instinctive bias or preconceived notions at first glance. The emotional and confrontational style speaks power and strength by forcing the viewer to look the women in the eye and see them for who they truly are: human.

ASSIMILATION

The title of this final piece is almost self-explanatory. It represents the internal struggle many African immigrants deal with growing up in America. The battle of competing identities: African values/heritage and American culture. The tribal face paint fades into the background, symbolizing the fading of African culture with the replacement of American culture in order to be accepted and valued.

*this piece is not meant to generalize and depict all officers as bad but to question and challenge the system of policing in America