“Mother” was created by Black artist Alan Giarcanella in honor of his mother who was being treated for breast cancer. The piece is a figurative exploration of the strong Black woman as the original mother of humanity and her ascension over oppression. The subject’s skin tone is a rich black, conveying the intentionality of the book. The abstract figures cradling her face—a woman’s back symbolizing sensuality, and pregnant silhouette signifying life, rebirth, and fertility—infuse the beauty of the womb, sex positivity, and maternity. The subtle purple on her eyelids is an homage to royalty, freedom, Alice Walker, and Black feminism. Her hair, which morphs into a golden glow of African textiles, represents resistance against western beauty ideals and her return to her throne as Mother Goddess.
