Born in New Jersey, Radcliffe Bailey was
raised in Georgia and attended the Atlanta College of Art, where he received a
B.F.A. in 1991. This painting takes
its title from Sun Ra’s 1992 album My Brother
the Wind; like Sun Ra’s musical collages, Bailey’s work explores the roots
of his heritage to address the African American Diaspora, personal identity
within that larger history, and the particular qualities of contemporary
Southern life.

The central
image is a recreation of a Victorian tin-type photograph, which is surrounded
by a richly painted oval frame. Among the interwoven images are references to
the Middle Passage and to African American migrations across the United States.
The stenciled image of the machete is for Bailey a symbol of protection and
sacrifice, and refers to the Oklo people of Africa, and written in reverse, as
if visible only the portrait figure, are the African nations—Ghana, Liberia,
and Guinea— which make up Bailey’s heritage.