Faith Ringgold, The Sunflower Quilting, 1997

A Sunday sunflower scene by the inimitable American artist Faith Ringgold, whose far-ranging practice encompasses painting, drawing, sculpture, quilting and activism. Ringgold has spent her five-decade career “confronting racial and gender inequality and social injustice with a buoyant touch,” in the words of Louisa Elderton for Elephant 42

. “Whenever I experience racism or sexism, I express it in my art—always showing optimism,” Ringgold told Elderton. “I like to turn wrong into right in a positive way.” In this instance, Vincent Van Gogh (a much-mythologized icon of the Western canon) stands in the background with a bunch of flowers while a group of Black female quilters take centre stage and their artistry is on full display.