The Weeping Widow, 2013

Dawn Bey

 

This artwork stems from personal experience. In the frame, an Asian girl is pictured weeping. She weeps because of pain and trials she is going through. This is further echoed with the Chinese saying (玉不琢不成器人不学不知理 ) on the right of her face which means ʻa gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trialsʼ in English.

 

Her pain is likened to a crown of thorns she dons on her head. However through the pain, she holds on to two

ideals, faith and hope, to get her through. The pain she goes through polishes her as if she attains jewels with

every second she endures and is added to her crown. “Weʼre stronger together” is contrasted with a pair of lips

being signaled to stay silent at the bottom left hand corner. This symbolises the naysayers who are unwilling to listen to those in pain and believe that they should suffer it alone. For that reason, the piece was called “The Weeping Widow” because the girl feels like all her loved ones have left her. The worlds “Weʼre stronger together” instead reflects the personal view that in pain, we should share our sorrow in order to build each other up. This quote was taken from a breast cancer book which reminds the artistʼs of her motherʼs experience with breast cancer and the impact on her life.

 

In a typical sorrowful picture, the colour palette would be gloomy and dark. However, the faith and hope here inspires her to look on the bright side of life and stay positive.