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The Flying African

The Flying African (Limited Edition)




24"x36" (Edition of 6)

40"x60" (Edition of 3)

 

Signed, Archival Dye Sublimation Aluminum Metal Print

 

Our collector's editions are archival prints signed and numbered by artist Mikael Owunna in limited edition, with only nine that will ever be produced. Due to their limited, archival, and signed nature, collector's editions accrue value over time, make a priceless addition to your collection, and are a valuable long-term investment. Mikael Owunna collector's edition pieces have been acquired by major museums, private collections, and institutions across the world, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University; Davidson College Van Every / Smith Galleries; Equal Justice Initiative; Duke University Pratt School of Engineering; and Middlebury College Museum of Art.

This archival print is printed directly onto aluminum with a brilliant white high gloss surface for unsurpassed detail and vibrance. The white gloss surface creates a glass-like, vibrant finish for each piece with deep blacks and a stunning 3-Dimensional effect. Each print comes complete with an aluminum brace hanging system, which allows the artwork to float frameless off the wall as if it were floating through space, and is backed with 1/4" of Sintra for added durability and weight. Collector's Edition is signed and numbered by Owunna. 

 

Inspired by an African American myth in which enslaved Africans were able to escape bondage by taking flight and returning to their homelands, my image renders the flying African as a glowing, celestial being moving gracefully through the Blackness of space.

 

Wall Preview Size: 40"x60"

See full description & specifications

The Flying African 
Throughout the United States, and especially along the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina, stories persist to this day of enslaved Africans who escaped bondage by taking flight and returning to their African homelands. Hypotheses persist as to the origin of this myth, but many point to the 1803 slave rebellion known as Igbo Landing on St. Simons Island in Georgia, where a group of enslaved Igbo people walked into a creek drowning themselves rather than being reenslaved. As they entered the water, they chanted, “The Water Spirit brought us, the Water Spirit will take us home,” and were thus transported to the primordial blackness from which everything emerged.

 

Photographic Process

In the photographs of Infinite Essence and Cosmologies, Owunna leverages his training as an engineer to explore the nuances of darkness and light.  He employs ultraviolet strobes, painted fluorescent backdrops, and carefully hand painted nude bodies of Black models that only glow under ultraviolet light.  When he then photographs the models in total darkness, the shutter snaps, and for that fraction of a second, synchronized beams of ultraviolet light illuminate a glowing scene that reanimates tableaus of creation from the archive of African diasporic myth.

The Flying African

$

1 Medium

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2 Size

3 Styles

4 Frame

Inspired by an African American myth in which enslaved Africans were able to escape bondage by taking flight and returning to their homelands, my image renders the flying African as a glowing, celestial being moving gracefully through the Blackness of space.

See full description & specifications

The Flying African 
Throughout the United States, and especially along the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina, stories persist to this day of enslaved Africans who escaped bondage by taking flight and returning to their African homelands. Hypotheses persist as to the origin of this myth, but many point to the 1803 slave rebellion known as Igbo Landing on St. Simons Island in Georgia, where a group of enslaved Igbo people walked into a creek drowning themselves rather than being reenslaved. As they entered the water, they chanted, “The Water Spirit brought us, the Water Spirit will take us home,” and were thus transported to the primordial blackness from which everything emerged.

 

Photographic Process

In the photographs of Infinite Essence and Cosmologies, Owunna leverages his training as an engineer to explore the nuances of darkness and light.  He employs ultraviolet strobes, painted fluorescent backdrops, and carefully hand painted nude bodies of Black models that only glow under ultraviolet light.  When he then photographs the models in total darkness, the shutter snaps, and for that fraction of a second, synchronized beams of ultraviolet light illuminate a glowing scene that reanimates tableaus of creation from the archive of African diasporic myth.

 

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For proper scaling, stand 12 feet away from the wall.
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Make the perfect choice with Live Preview: an augmented reality tool that brings artwork to life on your walls so you can discover the image that will make your space truly special.

The Flying African

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TRUSTED ART SELLER

This business has officially registered with the and has an established track record of selling art. Art Storefronts Organization

Buyers can trust that they are buying from a legitimate business. Art sellers that conduct fraudulent activity or that receive numerous complaints from buyers will have this badge revoked. If you would like to file a complaint about this seller, please do so here.

1c crunched snajej

For proper scaling, stand 12 feet away from the wall.
You can also drag the image to your desired location.

Make the perfect choice with Live Preview: an augmented reality tool that brings artwork to life on your walls so you can discover the image that will make your space truly special.

At6a0527 float2 supreme final print3 vef1t2

It looks like your camera paused.

That's ok. All you need to do is refresh the page to get it working again.

In some cases, you may need to close and restart your browser, or restart your device to get your camera working again with your browser.

Refresh this Page
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The Live Preview feature requires a modern browser that supports the ability to launch a camera from within a browser. If you believe that your device supports that functionality, you may just need to reload this page to let the browser try to activate your camera again.

The ability to activate your camera in a browser is currently supported by Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Opera, in both their desktop and Android versions. It is supported by Apple's Safari browser, version 11 and higher. Microsoft’s Internet Explorer has yet to add support for this functionality.

If you cannot get this working, we recommend emailing a link to a compatible device or just use the
Wall Preview Tool >>

Refresh this Page
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You must use the Safari browser to use this feature.

The Live Preview feature requires a modern browser that supports the ability to launch a camera from within a browser. Currently, Apple only allows this functionality to occur within the Safari browser. It may allow Chrome and others in the future.

Please open your Safari browser, visit this page again, and you'll be good to go!

Refresh this Page
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Please allow access to your camera in order to use the AR Live Preview app.

All you need to do is open a browser (i.e. Safari, Chrome, Firefox) on your device, open this page in that browser and then allow the app to use your camera.

Refresh this Page
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You need to try another browser to use this feature.

The Live Preview feature requires a browser that supports the ability to launch a rear camera from within a browser.

Please open another browser (Firefox or default), visit this page again, and you'll be good to go!

Refresh this Page
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