“There has been an apparent thread in my art that weaves from my early prints of the 1960s through later collages and assemblages. . . . That thread is a curiosity about the mystical.” Works like The Beastie Parade reveal this longstanding interest of Saar’s, which was supported in part by her broader cultural explorations of the occult in the 1960s. Evoking medieval imagery of unicorns and maidens in jewel-like colors, Saar’s characters appear under the sun and the moon, underscoring the interconnection of the natural and supernatural.
Gallery label from Betye Saar: The Legends of Black Girl’s Window, October 21, 2019–January 4, 2020