The Dorothy Dandridge Machine is a series I created inspired by the late actress and singer. She was the first commercially successful Hollywood sex kitten of color. Her career took off in the 1950s, yet she died bankrupt and alone of a possible overdose in 1965. I have supplied her story with little comic book demons, invented artifacts and intimate settings. Through the paintings and the installation I attempt to bring people along with me as I imagine her celebrity and pursue a reconstruction of her past. I based the embroideries and prints on stills from her films and the robots in the paintings were inspired by the humor and despair of the Hollywood dream. Dorothy inspired me to consider the way media and technology influence my imagination and the construction of racial and sexual identities in the United States.
