Imani Nixon is artist and photographer based out of Kansas City, MO. Nixon’s work is concerned with the exploration of heritage and the questioning of gender roles. Nixon’s lineage hails from Jamaica and, ultimately Africa. She finds interest in the intersection of her American heritage, Jamaican heritage, and African ancestry. Nixon’s art addresses notions of “blackness” and solidifies abstract cultural concepts in visual media. For her, “blackness” concerns itself with an understanding of one’s connection to Africa. Nixon employ such exploration through incorporation of patterns and textiles, which bear reference to African slaves used for labor in colonial Jamaica. These patterns juxtaposed with the female figure force viewers to acknowledge their long conflicted history and the role of the woman in this history. She examines femininity through cultural expression, subject matter, and the poses of her models, referring to the “duties” of womanhood. She replicates many of the African patterns and textures through printing to expand the viewer's visual horizons beyond the framed image. The patterns activate the space within and around the images, creating further conversations about the cultural identity of the work.