Children of Yacub
According to The Nation of Islam, Yacub (Jacob, son of Isaac), was a brilliant eugenicist of African descent whose hubris and never ending curiosities led to the genetic invention of the white race over 6,000 years ago. This vibrant yet complicated narrative is only acknowledged by The Nation, and is discredited by Islam.
Disputed amongst the scientific community, race, as either a social construct or genetic signifier, has played an important role in modern history as well as justified ethical discrimination and even human experimentation. Yacub as a figure represents a culmination of religious histories, eugenics, and reactionary narratives that were constructed out of situations of American social oppression. The religious aspect of this narrative isn't necessarily as important as the social and scientific. According to The Nation of Islam, Yacub brought destruction onto his people by initiating research that would later be completed by his followers, the creation of The Devil Race.
This series presents surreal portraits of the fictive experiments and continues the narrative of their existence, regardless of the questionable science fiction that led to their creation.
The Children of Yacub, 2015
Archival Inkjet Prints
16 in (40.64 cm) x 20 in (50.8 cm) ea.
The Children of Yacub: Iteration II (The Predecessors), 2016
Archival Inkjet Prints
16 in (40.64 cm) x 20 in (50.8 cm) ea.