Artist, Cecilia Vicuña: My name is Cecilia Vicuña. This is my painting Black Panther and Me from 1978.
In the center is a big Cecilia that has two little Cecilias attached to herself. That gaze is a gaze of questioning: who am I? The park is a beloved place, the staircase leads to other dimensions.
The minute I learned about the creation of the Black Panther Party around the late ‘60s, I was all for it. I never believed that the struggle for liberation of one people was separated from my own struggle for liberation. And so this panther is about to spring on top of me, but my response is delight. Because they crouch like that both to attack and to play. In this case, it’s about playing.
The pill in my hand is the pill. What I despise is the fact that even though the pill stopped you from getting pregnant, it caused many side effects. I know they could have created something better.
I think as a Latin American woman, you are a despised creature. A moment came when I decided to paint what was perceived as my imperfection. It felt like an act of love for that little person that was unloved. And I suppose you never cease to learn what it can really mean to love ourselves. For women, that would change the world.