Black Maiden (The Caged Bird Sings a Soliloquy of Midnight Veil)
Medium: Mix-Media (Acrylic and Ink on paper with glitter, spray paint, watercolor paper, oil pastels, and fabric)
Dimensions: 52" x 80"
Year: 2022
Private Collection.
"Black Maiden (The Caged Bird Sings a Soliloquy of Midnight Veil)" is an ode to Maya Angelou's 1983 poetry collection Shaker, Why Don't You Sing? In this illustration, Doucet explores the modern plight of Black womanhood through the critical lens of medical oppression, emotional resilience, and freedom. Black women today have disproportionately high rates of death related to pregnancy and childbirth. The Black Maiden is bonded and hunched over in a dream deferred; the red vines operate as a metaphor for the silent suffering and oppression of the world. Around her, the free birds sing and dance a song of remembrance - a reminder to rise above adversity.