It’s Systematic, liquor stores are disproportionately located in predominately black and low-income neighborhoods

The self-portrait is of Tennesha sitting nude in front of a bright pink liquor store with a bright pink and green floral blanket on top of her, covering her body. The background and house to the liquor store’s left are sky blue fading into teal blue. The liquor store says Bogie’s Liquor in pink. Tennesha imitates the homeless child she saw standing on a street corner in LA wearing nothing but a blanket. Tennesha sits in front of a liquor store to symbolize how one can find numerous liquor stores compared to few grocery stores in low-income neighborhoods in LA.

ABOUT TENNESHA:
Tennesha Skyers is a Canadian artist based in Toronto, Canada. Born in 1994, she is known for her large colorful and fluorescent self-portraits. She depicts old family photos, her personal experiences growing up as a black woman, her imagination, and her travels. Her work usually addresses issues black individuals have faced since the abolishment of slavery, environmental issues, and resolutions. She is a self-taught artist retaining her raw and bubbly energy in her portraits. In each painting, she explores colors, space, and how they make her feel. Her work pulls inspiration from black and African artists to change the identity and stereotype of references needing to come from Western and Eurocentric art history. She is drawn to representing self-portraits, an interest that stemmed from her introversion, and not seeing any black female self-portraits, giving black artists visibility. She works in numerous mediums including painting, mixed media, sculpture, and digital drawing.