Dimensions: 22L x 20W x 47H

Artist Name: AfroLove Philly

Artists Inspiration/ Story:

When Raichl spotted the larger chair in the furniture bank, she was struck by its beauty, after finding the second one, over the moon. The chairs spoke to her, bringing thoughts of "royalty", "a king and queen", "an inseparable pair". “What would an AfroLove king and queen look like? In my art style” Raichl imagined a man sitting with confidence like in Kehinde Wiley's President Obama portrait, and a woman CEO sitting and demanding confidence with her pose, like Lynae Vanee Bogues in her Bostonia article.

After her initial sketches Raichl didn't particularly like the story my images told. They were too proper, too clean and unreachable. She thought about how else royalty is defined in her community, using the terms "king" and "queen" to uplift one another, and what would a Philly King and Queen look like.

The new sketches included a family with a father, mother, and two children. The father and son wore hoodies, and the son is embracing his father and peeking over his shoulder, resting his hand on his other shoulder. The mother and daughter are also in a kind of embrace. The mother has a confident stance, and her daughter is standing behind her, holding on to her arm. If you can see the angle of their heads, the child is lovingly looking up at the mother, admiring her, and the mother is peering over her shoulder her daughter, acknowledging her and returning the look of love.

The head of each person is adorned with a golden crown, while in actuality their 'royal status' is more symbolic. Their beauty, grace, confidence, and pride would be evident and obvious without an official royal claim. I also wanted to make a statement about the beauty and strength of familial love and the concept of "Black Love". The African inspired fabrics were also carefully selected to reflect cultural pride and royal themes.

Artist Bio

Raichl Davenport is a fabric artist from the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia PA. Using printed fabrics, with a special focus on African inspired patterns, Davenport creates images that tell stories centering Black people, Black experiences, and the continued fight for justice & equality. The self-taught artist started her art journey in 2018, making fabric creations just for family and friends.

In 2020, as the world changed, so did the nature of her business. She started working under her brand, named AfroLove, and taking her art to new places. In the year 2021, AfroLove participated in 6 art shows, partnered with 4 local art collectives, and sold 35 unique pieces of artwork. In 2022, her AfroLove brand appeared at art exhibitions around the city, such as the Manayunk Arts Festival, Last Fridays @ Avenues Caf and alongside Art Star Philly, just to name a few.

Follow Davenport's journey on the web at www.AFROLOVEPHILLY.com or on Instagram @AfroLove_Philly.

Raichl's piece was generously sponsored by Myles Kellam.

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Fine Print