Indian Alice in Wonderland

The delightfully idiosyncratic book Alice in Wonderland has inspired a rich legacy in movies and art. Its curious heroine leads audiences through a world full of wonderful, iconic imagery, but none so iconic as Disney’s 1951 titular film.

Lewis Carroll based the character Alice off of his young friend Alice Liddell, and he lamented the fact that John Tenniel’s illustrations portrayed her as having long, blonde hair when Miss Liddell’s hair was short and dark. I wanted to preserve this aspect of the character as a tribute to him.

The dress Alice wears is based off of traditional clothing from South India that is known under various names by different Indian states: pattu pavadai, langa voni, or langa davani. It is made up of a blouse and skirt, which are both highly decorated and brightly colored.

The colors orange and green are prominently featured in the image to resemble the Indian national flag. The thick trees seen in the background reference the unique forms of Banyans, which are considered the national tree of India.

Chicana Dorothy of Oz

There is pure magic in the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz that cannot be described. The pure fantasy and spectacle of the movie is carried by the luminous Judy Garland, who famously steps into a world of color with the audience’s awe reflected on her own face.

Because of its famous use of Technicolor, I found this movie offered a fun opportunity to put a little more color into the Land of Oz. Dorothy as a young Mexican girl wears an embroidered blouse that refers to the traditional huipil tunic worn by indigenous women of the Mesoamerican region. The flower in her hair is a red dahlia, the national flower of Mexico.

This image was painted with acrylics as a reference to the murals that arose from the Chicano art movement, which focused on forging an autonomous Mexican identity. Many of these murals were focused on collaboration and community, and could be found in public spaces to promote inclusivity and accessibility.

The volumetric dress and the sweeping movement throughout the painting is a reference to Chicano art styles.

Korean Princess Leia

Few female heroines have captivated audiences over decades more profoundly than Princess Leia of the Star Wars franchise. Her strength, sass, and defiance are all characteristics as iconic as her hairdo.

While the origins of Leia’s hair design cannot be attributed to one source, I found similarities in her large braid crown styles to those worn by Korean royalty in the early Joseon dynasty. The hair here is inspired by the elaborate wigs and hairpieces that female members of the royal family would wear.

The outfit is based on traditional Korean clothing for men, called hanbok, and it borrows from the white outfit worn by Leia on the planet Hoth. I chose the male equivalent of hanbok since it would be more practical for her to wear pants in battle.

The pose Leia strikes is inspired by famous promotional photos of Han Solo with his blaster, which in turn emulates a publicity shot of Elvis Presley from his film Flaming Star. I wanted this Leia to convey the power and control that she wielded in the Star Wars franchise, and to do so I borrowed from examples of conventional masculine imagery.

Kenyan Rapunzel

The tale of Rapunzel as we know it today comes from the Brothers Grimm, who in turn borrowed from oral traditions. But the image of a woman with long hair trapped in a tower has captivated imaginations all around the world.

Rapunzel is traditionally depicted in children’s books and movies as having flowing golden hair. Hairstyles can be a valuable part of cultural identity, and I wanted to explore how to make a meaningful change with a figure that most children become acquainted with in childhood.

Here Rapunzel is depicted with traditional jewelry from the Maasai tribe of Kenya, located in the southern part of the country. These intricate pieces were historically made with clay, wood, and bone, but are now constructed with glass beads. The different colors represent moral values and natural elements important to the tribe. The patterns in the background are meant to emulate the vibrant kitenge fabric used in Kenyan clothing.

The women of the Maasai tribe famously shave their heads, so having Rapunzel with long, braided hair in the fashion of contemporary African braiding traditions further places her as an outsider, trapped in a prison but dreaming of a better tomorrow.

Aboriginal Ellen Ripley

A character that singlehandedly defined a franchise, Ripley tears through haunting spaceships and alien corpses with fire in her hands and sweat on her brow. Panicked but poised, strong yet terrified, she is a complex and inspiring icon of cinema.

Here Ripley is depicted as an Aboriginal woman from the indigenous groups of Australia and its surrounding islands.

Body painting is an ancient Aboriginal practice rich with meaning and tradition. The painted designs are highly symbolic, and can delineate social positions, tribes, and ancestors. It is often used for ceremonial purposes.

The background designs reference the patterns that often appear in Central Australian art, which have manifested in contemporary forms like the Papunya Tula art movement. The radiating circular shapes are also meant to represent the motion tracker in Aliens.

Black Panther Sandy

At the conclusion of the 1978 film Grease, former goody two-shoes “Sandra Dee” turns heads and drops jaws as she struts out in an unforgettable outfit, from heavily teased curls to iconic leather pants.

Though the movie is set in the 1950s and is likely taking place during the burgeoning civil rights movement, there are no notable black characters. With the black leather and big hair in Sandy’s outfit, I found a fascinating link to the aesthetics of the Black Panther Party.

Sandy has a natural afro as a tribute to natural hair movements that celebrate black culture and beauty. The textured background pattern is a homage to the graphic art of Emory Douglas, who was the longtime Minister of Culture for the Black Panther Party and produced many posters and material on their behalf.