Incendiary is part of Kit Lang’s Black and Blue series, which represents significant people of the African diaspora throughout history. The work depicts Marie-Joseph Angélique, an enslaved woman in Montreal and owned by Thérèse de Couagne de Francheville. Lang documents the moment after a fire destroyed Montreal’s merchants’ quarter: Angélique was blamed for starting it, purportedly in an attempt to escape her bondage. She was convicted, tortured, and hanged. Incendiary is an important reminder of Canada’s own history of oppression, enslavement, and anti-Black racism. Lang’s Black and Blue series has been recognized and published internationally. Lang has also produced commissioned pieces for Black Lives Matter Toronto’s Freedom School.
Black Art Matters
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Kit Lang, Incendiary, Marie-Joseph Angélique, 2012
Mixed media. © Kit Lang