Reclaiming What Remains

Tokie Rome Taylor

Tokie Rome Taylor is a photographer, interested in ethnography, identity, and representation. Rome’s multimedia practice is grounded in the understanding that one’s self-perception and sense of belonging in a society begins in childhood. Children are the subjects she uses to speak of a sense of belonging. These images of black and brown children re-examine history and tradition, through photographic portraits that counter the propaganda of inaccurate stereotypical, subjugated, and inferior historical depictions of people of color. They represent a visual elevation that had been omitted from mainstream "Western history".
Working in tandem with her centering on children, Rome-Taylor explores questions that stem from ethnographic and historical research. These questions probe the material, spiritual, and familial culture of descendants of southern slaves and act as entry points for Tokie Rome-Taylor to build symbolic elements that communicate a visual language. The sitters' family heirlooms, and recollections of family history, are combined with the historical research about the lives of Africans brought to the Americas. The research centers on their material culture, spiritual practice, and traditions. These have all been used to create a visual language that speaks to our shared history. Children and their family heirlooms, the real or imagined histories of these children's families, and their ancestors all collide to spark conversation around material wealth, and familial and cultural traditions of African Americans in the South. Americans in the South.
- Tokie Rome Taylor
  Ancestors Speak...Soft as Cotton, 2020
  Archival Pigment Photograph on Cotton Rag
  36 x 24 inches
  
  Tokie Rome Taylor, Ancestors Speak...Soft as Cotton, 2020
  
  Sold
  
  $ 2,200.00
- Tokie Rome Taylor
  Before Yesterday We Could Fly, 2021
  archival pigment print on cotton rag
  36 x 24 inches
  
  Tokie Rome Taylor, Before Yesterday We Could Fly, 2021
  
  Sold
  
  $ 2,200.00
- Tokie Rome Taylor
  A Trifecta…Wisdom, History, And Wealth In Reach, 2022
  Cyanotype on cotton rag
  34 x 24 inches
  
  Tokie Rome Taylor, A Trifecta…Wisdom, History, And Wealth In Reach, 2022
  
  Sold
  
  $ 3,600.00
- Tokie Rome Taylor
  What Grandmother Bequeathed To Me, 2022
  Cyanotype on Cotton
  34 x 24 inches
  
  Tokie Rome Taylor, What Grandmother Bequeathed To Me, 2022
  
  Sold
  
  $ 3,600.00
- Tokie Rome Taylor
  Ancestors Behind Our Back, 2022
  Cyanotype On Cotton Rag
  24 x 19.5 inches
  
  Tokie Rome Taylor, Ancestors Behind Our Back, 2022
  
  Sold
  
  $ 2,000.00
This body of work focuses on African American children from the south as historical ancestors who have traded roles.This body of work reexamines that history, creating images of an alternative past, where these children’s humanity, history, and worth as a people are seen and celebrated. My portraits of Black children represent a visual elevation that has been omitted from the canon of mainstream “western art history”. I look for connections–threads– to how materials, cultural elements, and history can be used to layer symbolism and narrative within the work. I am intrigued by exploring how to communicate using not only images created with the camera, but also with the subject the camera focuses on and the materials used to create the final piece.
"The use of beading, embroidery, gold leafing, cyanotype and/or wax are all inspired by the materials used in creation and adornment of clothing within traditional West African culture.The work becomes less about the pure photograph and more about the concepts and ideas the artwork is asking the viewer to explore. Photography has always been both my method of creating raw material, and my method of creating frozen moments in imagined historical time. It is a way for me to communicate my thoughts and ideas, much like paint and brushes are used by a painter. I explore mediums and layering in order to grant myself freedom from the expectation of how a photograph should ultimately exist. For me, the photograph is not about capturing reality, but about creating it. I am creating an alternative and imagined realm for my children to exist within that is hopefully reflective of an idealized reality they will ultimately inherit in real life."

-Tokie Rome Taylor
- Tokie Rome Taylor
  We Summon You Home... We Owe Them Nothing, 2021
  Archival Pigment Photograph on Cotton Rag
  36 x 24 inches
  
  Tokie Rome Taylor, We Summon You Home... We Owe Them Nothing, 2021
  
  Sold
  
  $ 2,200.00
- Tokie Rome Taylor
  What is Precious is Protected, 2022
  archival pigment print on cotton rag
  36 x 24 inches
- Tokie Rome Taylor
  Woven In History, 2021
  Archival Pigment Photograph on Cotton Rag
  36 x 24 inches
- Tokie Rome Taylor
  See Me, 2018
  Archival Pigment Print on Cotton Rag
  30 x 20 inches
  
  Tokie Rome Taylor, See Me, 2018
  
  Sold
  
  $ 1,200.00
- Tokie Rome Taylor
  Dunbar's Daughter, 2021
  Archival Pigment Photograph on Cotton Rag
  36 x 24 inches
"The work is not limited to young women, but specifically to African American children.

They are a key subject in my work because I feel that African-American children have primarily been ignored as the center within the canon of the art world. It is my goal to instill a connection to history and tradition in the children as well as adults taking part in this project and those who view the artwork. Children need to see themselves depicted in a manner that celebrates them, their history, and their heritage. Without this visibility, a subconscious sense of not belonging within a society is created within an individual. This absence of Black children’s presence in cultural spaces is combined with visual representation in the media that centers on negativity. This is a demeaning narrative that children of color have had to battle subconsciously." -Tokie Rome Taylor
- Tokie Rome Taylor
  Reflection Of Self, 2018
  Archival Pigment Photograph on Cotton Rag
  36 x 24 inches
  
  Tokie Rome Taylor, Reflection Of Self, 2018
  
  Sold
  
  $ 2,200.00
- Tokie Rome Taylor
  Timeless Reading, 2018
  Archival Pigment Print on Cotton Rag
  30 x 20 inches
  
  Tokie Rome Taylor, Timeless Reading, 2018
  
  Sold
  
  $ 1,200.00
- Tokie Rome Taylor
  n Seeing My Grandmother I Saw My Self, 2021
  Archival Pigment Photograph on Cotton Rag
  36 x 24 inches
  
  Tokie Rome Taylor, n Seeing My Grandmother I Saw My Self, 2021
  
  Sold
  
  $ 2,200.00
Tokie Rome Taylor

Journey , 2022

Archival Pigment Photograph on Cotton Rag

24 x 36 inches
My children, literally and figuratively, should be seen. They are seeing themselves as strong, unafraid–confrontational even, pure and open to the world. Children are my conduits to connect to elevation, spirituality, and ancestors, but they are also my way of speaking to who our society should deem worthy.
- Tokie Rome Taylor
  Spirit Rising, 2021
  Archival Pigment Photograph on Cotton Rag
  36 x 24 inches
  
  Tokie Rome Taylor, Spirit Rising, 2021
  
  Sold
  
  $ 2,200.00
- Tokie Rome Taylor
  Remnants, 2022
  Variable Edition Cyanotype On Cotton Rag
  20 x 14 inches
- Tokie Rome Taylor
  An Offering, 2020
  archival pigment print
  36 x 24 inches
  
  Tokie Rome Taylor, An Offering, 2020
  
  Sold
  
  $ 2,200.00