Faced with early critics of the Black Madonna Tabloid series where I was told I just “look like the nanny”, Maria de Latte [M]atron Saint to Nannies and Wet Nurses was a natural progression. It considers the association of the Black/Brown woman’s body with domestic servitude (especially in a South African context where this work was produced). By comparing the Virgin Mary - the first “surrogate mother” if you will- to the domestic worker, I attempt to shift her position and elevate her from disposable to Divine. 

M a r i a   d i   L a t t e:

 [ M ] a t r o n   S a i n t   t o   N a n n i e s   a n d   W e t   N u r s e s ,   2 0 1 1