view additional image 1
view additional image 2
view additional image 3
view additional image 4
85 Views
8

VIEW IN MY ROOM

Black Women - Waris Dirie Print

David Sànchez Leòn

Spain

Open Edition Prints Available:
info-circle

Select a Material

info-circle

Photo Paper

Photo Paper

Fine Art Paper

Select a Size

8 x 12 in ($40)

8 x 12 in ($40)

16 x 24 in ($85)

Add a Frame

info-circle

White ($80)

Black ($80)

White ($80)

Natural Wood ($80)

Metal: Light Pewter ($150)

Metal: Dark Pewter ($150)

No Frame

$120USD
Primary imagePrimary imagePrimary imagePrimary imagePrimary image Trustpilot Score
85 Views
8

Artist Recognition

link - Artist featured in a collection

Artist featured in a collection

About The Artwork

This work is a tribute to all black women on the planet, especially those who with their courage and decision decided to change the world through their actions and thoughts to make it more just, although many times these lead to retaliation against them and their families. To send the piece, first the piece is wrapped with a thin layer of acid-free paper, then it is covered with bubble wrap so that the piece is highly protected. At the end of these two packaging processes, I build a box exclusively for the work, with a very thick cardboard capable of withstanding possible incidents in transport and that the work reaches your hands in perfect condition. Measurements of the piece: 65x 15 x 12 cm. Waris Dirie is a Somali model, author, actress and human rights activist in the fight against Female Genital Mutilation. From 1997 to 2003, she was a UN special ambassador against female genital mutilation. In 2002 she founded her own organisation in Vienna, the Desert Flower Foundation. Dirie was born as one of twelve children into a nomadic family in 1965 in the area of Galkayo. Her first name, Waris, means desert flower. When she was five, she suffered circumcision in the form of infibulation. At the age of thirteen, she fled through the desert to Mogadishu in order to escape an arranged marriage to a 60-year-old man. She first stayed there with relatives, but later she was told that she could not stay any longer because her escape was not tolerated. One of her uncles, who was then Somali ambassador to the United Kingdom, was looking for a maid. So she was brought to London, where she worked at the Somali embassy without pay. When the uncle had to leave London after the outbreak of the civil war in Somalia, Dirie fled the embassy and lived first in the streets of London, later in a home of the YMCA. She earned her living as a cleaner in a local McDonald's. Aged 18, Dirie was by chance discovered by photographer Mike Goss, as she stood waiting for her charge outside of his daughter's school. Through getting the children to translate for them, Mike persuaded Waris to model for him. Afterwards, he helped her get a portfolio together and get her representation, although a lot of modelling agencies claimed there was 'no call for black models'. One of her first modelling jobs was for Terence Donovan, who photographed her in 1987 together with the then still unknown model Naomi Campbell for the title of the Pirelli Calendar. From there, Dirie's modeling career took off, she soon became successful model, appearing in advertisements for top brands such as Chanel, Levi's, L'Oréal and Revlon. In 1987, Dirie played a minor role in the James Bond film The Living Daylights. She also appeared on the runways of London, Milan, Paris and New York, and in fashion magazines such as Elle, Glamour and Vogue. This was followed in 1995 by a BBC documentary entitled A Nomad in New York about her modeling career. In 1997, at the height of her modeling career, Dirie spoke for the first time with Laura Ziv of the women's magazine Marie Claire about the female genital mutilation that she had undergone as a child, at the age of five along with her two sisters. That same year, Dirie became a UN envoy for the abolition of FGM. She later paid her mother a visit in her native Somalia. In 1998, Dirie coauthored her first book along with nonfiction author Cathleen Miller:[4] Desert Flower, an autobiography that went on to become an international bestseller. Over 11 million copies have been sold worldwide to date, 3 million in Germany alone. She later released other successful books including Desert Dawn, Letter to My Mother and Desert Children, the latter of which was launched in tandem with a European campaign against FGM. In 2002, Dirie founded the Desert Flower Foundation in Vienna. The foundation collects money to raise awareness about the worldwide problem of FGM and to help those affected. In the same year, she received the Corine Literature Prize. In 2004, she received the World Social Award by Mikhail Gorbachev at the Women's World Award Gala in Hamburg, Germany.[5] Dirie opened the World Conference against FGM in Nairobi, delivered a much-noticed speech and published for the first time the Waris-Dirie Manifesto against FGM. The Austrian Federal President Heinz Fischer awarded her the Romero Prize on behalf of the Austrian Catholic Men's Movement. In 2006, she addressed the assembled ministers of all EU Member States in Brussels. The European Union then put the fight against female genital mutilation on its agenda, after which laws were tightened up and preventive measures initiated in many European countries.

Details & Dimensions

Print:Giclee on Photo Paper

Size:8 W x 12 H x 0.1 D in

Size with Frame:13.25 W x 17.25 H x 1.2 D in

Shipping & Returns

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.

Hi my name is David León, also known as @ds.leon, I am a multidisciplinary artist with a primary focus on figurative sculpture and also have experience in painting. My story began on a stormy night in the summer of 1979 in Barcelona when a 21-year-old woman gave birth to her first child, a small, big-headed, and hairy boy. I studied in different traditional private schools, where "donkey, the letter only enters with blood" was the motto. Throughout those years, I was humiliated and mistreated, which led me to hide my connection with the plastic arts out of shame and embarrassment. At the age of 14, my mother, after spending a fortune on "RUBIO" handwriting notebooks, decided to take me to a psychologist. Yes, I had dyslexia, so I couldn't write or draw, let alone read. With that diagnosis, a new chapter of my life began: a teacher taught me how to write again. I continued my high school studies and graduated as a Technician in Metal Construction. During those years, the explosion of rap and graffiti took place, which captivated me. In 1994, Montana Colors arrived in paint stores, and armed with the most colorful sprays of the time, I started painting walls like crazy. Although my artwork was not very good, I continued to do it impulsively because I felt an internal need to express myself. Some considered me an artist, but for others, I was simply a vandal dirtying the walls of Barcelona. The years passed, and punk conquered me: the music, the concerts, the libertarian collectives, the squats... They kept me away from the art world for some time. It was another way to express myself to a society that not long ago had emerged from a dictatorship. This time, the materials and mediums were the same, but the colors and messages were different: blacks, reds, and yellows. It was a rebellious youth filled with demands for labor rights, gender equality, discontent with wars and hard drugs, among other things. Following my curiosity and need to express what I feel, my unique way of seeing life and what surrounds me, the day came when I transitioned from the street to exhibition halls to explain and share my story and concerns with a different kind of audience through art.

Artist Recognition

Artist featured in a collection

Artist featured by Saatchi Art in a collection

Thousands Of Five-Star Reviews

We deliver world-class customer service to all of our art buyers.

globe

Global Selection

Explore an unparalleled artwork selection by artists from around the world.

Satisfaction Guaranteed

Our 14-day satisfaction guarantee allows you to buy with confidence.

Support An Artist With Every Purchase

We pay our artists more on every sale than other galleries.

Need More Help?

Enjoy Complimentary Art Advisory Contact Customer Support