Julius Dorsey III 

Goddess of the Lost Tribe

2021

Wood, nails and paint on board

Original: 48 x 96 inches  Print: 24 x 36 inches

Dorsey’s portrait Goddess of the lost Tribe, can be be read both as a tribute to black women and a narrative on the intersection between beliefs and idolatry.  The work is based on the likeness of the mother of his children, wearing her customary golden bamboo hoop earnings. The Goddess gazes out with unwavering confidence, bedazzling the viewer with her golden crown, and a jewel in the center of her forehead, insinuating power - both requested and willingly surrendered.  

The piece thus captures multiple layers of meaning: how beliefs ultimately become power and how this dynamic manifests in relationships between black women and men.