Tightrope

Tightrope, acrylic on linen with African 

fabric borders, 82ʺ × 58ʺ, 1994

In this piece, Amos paints a self-portrait of her on a tightrope. In one hand she’s holding paint brushes while in the other she’s holding a t-shirt with a naked woman's breasts. This piece symbolizes the balancing act that Amos walks every day. She’s balancing being a woman, an artist, a Black woman, and trying to be a superhero, hence the superwomen costume, all at once. The T-shirt represents Amos’s womanhood and sexuality, and making time to be a woman rather than her identity as an artist consuming her.