Bisa Butler_Artist As Mentor

African Fabric Textile

For this project assignment, we were supposed to choose between a Photo Essay and an Artist as Mentor. But I prefer to find a way to do both. So I decided to fuse both instructions into one. Therefore, on this project, I will explore African Textiles as a visual language in contemporary portrait photography. African Textiles act as another form of identity, history, status, and cultural continuity. Through their different colors, Patterns, and repetition, textiles communicate meaning that goes beyond aesthetics.

While studying the works of Bisa Butler and Thandiwe Muriu, this project examines the different translations of the textile traditions into contemporary portraiture and how those strategies can inform my own photographic practice. 

My Artist Mentor

African Fabrics act as another form of visual language that communicates history, identity, and belonging. In this photographic series, fabrics are used not only as decorative backdrops but also as active elements that shape how the subject is seen. Aligning patterns on garments with equally patterned backgrounds, the images will demonstrate the way identity exists in harmony with cultural tradition while remaining dynamic and contemporary. 

Thandiwe Muriu

Born in 1990, Thandiwe Muriu is an artist who examines themes of identity, culture, and female empowerment in her work. Most of her pieces are deeply inspired by African fabric narratives, primarily the Ankara (wax) and East African Kanga fabrics, which she uses as canvases to redefine, celebrate, and remember. 

Her photography guided my use of pattern continuity and controlled composition, encouraging me to consider how fabric, background, and body could interact visually as a unified form. From her, I learned the importance of intentional styling and visual rhythm. Her approach to pattern inspired my use of coordinated textiles and layered imagery to explore visibility and self-definition.

Bisa Butler

Born in 1973, Bisa Butler is a fiber artist who has created a new genre of quilting that has transformed into a medium. With her interdisciplinary approach, she made quilts that look like paintings and has brought quilting into the field of fine art. 

Bisa Work influenced my focus on emotional presence and dignity in portraiture. Her use of textiles as narrative tools informed my approach to lighting and pose, particularly in images where the subjects’ gaze and posture communicate confidence and introspection. From studying Bisa, I learned an interest in prioritizing emotional storytelling over surface aesthetics. We can see her influence appear most strongly in portraits where the lighting and pose emphasize presence and inner strength. 

Their Artworks

Bisa Butler: Southside Sunday Morning

Bisa Butler: Harriet Tubman

Bisa Butler: The Princess 2018

Thandiwe Muriu: Camo 42

Thandiwe Muriu: Camo 36

Thandiwe Muriu: Secret Weapon

My Artworks

In my designs, I aimed to incorporate these lessons by viewing textiles as extensions of the subject’s identity. Techniques like pattern repetition, double exposure, and controlled framing enabled me to explore how cultural elements can both reveal and safeguard personal identity. My photographic series highlights African textiles as expressions of individuality and cultural continuity. Each portrait underscores the connection between the subject and patterned textiles, showing how fabric can mirror personality, heritage, and self-expression. The images are created to reflect Butler’s emphasis on dignity and Muriu’s focus on visual harmony, while still preserving my own photographic voice.

Inspired by Thandiwe Muriu
This portrait emphasizes pattern continuity between garment and background to explore how textiles function as visual identity markers

Inspired by Thandiwe Muriu and Bisa Butler
Through layered imagery, this photograph represents identity as something shaped by cultural memory and personal presence.

Inspired by Bisa Butler
Warm lighting and expressive pose reflect Butler’s emphasis on dignity and emotional storytelling within portraiture.

Inspired by both artists
Pattern interference and repetition explore the tension between visibility and self-protection in contemporary identity.

This project helped me understand how African textiles function beyond their aesthetic role. Studying Butler and Muriu taught me to approach portrait photography with greater intentionality, particularly in styling and composition. Their work influenced how I think about representation, identity, and the role of cultural elements in visual storytelling.