Protection

Protection, 2026 Cyanotype print on tea paper In Protection, a rag doll lies unattended across a stack of government-marked blankets. Objects associated with warmth and care become an uneasy resting place: the child is provided for, but not held. The blanket becomes a symbol of care offered on colonial terms, reflecting systems in which governments, churches and institutions claimed increasing authority over Blak children and families under the language of protection. The work asks us to consider the tension between care and control, and the consequences when protection becomes conditional upon institutional authority. When protection is conditional upon control, who is being protected?