Miss Emily & The Serpents Brew (2002)

What makes this work by the artist James Andrew Brown so compelling, is the dichotomy of madness juxtaposed with positive life forces. In the heartland of America’s DNA lies the twisted fate of a Black man. His Dahomeyan African (warrior) nature is daily tested and is as deep and dark as 100 fathoms down. The two headed serpent embodies this disunion by coiling around earth to keep it from falling apart – as “Things Fall Apart,” according to Nigerian writer, Chinua Achebe, whose most famous novel dissects colonialism and its dire consequences for the Black people of Africa. The lights, cars, the couple dancing on the peripheral and action: The splattering of whiteness suggests the PIG has infiltrated the village with his institutions, as the Black man’s savior. The Artist “throws down” that colonial enslavement will not deny the proud Black man and woman their right to all the joys of life. Rebuking the lie, Brown’s gilded serpent performs the fantastical miracle of birth, rebirth, and immortality. The artist portrays the great Calypso singer and steadfast Civil Rights Activist, Harry Belafonte staring into the Serpent`s brew. Perplexed, yet determined to untangle this disjointed concoction. The struggle continues. The 2 headed serpent presents as Caduceus, a symbol of medical & spiritual healing. To further emphasize the emptiness of the colonial narrative, the artist attaches between the Black Calypso dancer and the baby in the serpent womb an African spear, a distinct symbol of courage. Not lost on the artist are the origins of Caribbean Calypso dance which was a secretive way to mock the slave masters. All the while in the upper right corner a blue haired Miss Emily (Miss Emily is artist title on verso) surveys the brew while directly below is a 2 faced animal-human metamorphosis.
Brown’s monumental canvas depicts at the lower left in black and yellow circles what appears as an African cosmogram depicting the circle of life.

Interpretation by
Gilda Rogers