Iona Rozeal Brown

Iona Rozeal Brown, better known as Rozeal (1996- ) is a painter exploring the cultural exchange between Black Americans and Japan. Her work heavily pulls from ukiyo-e, woodblock prints popular in Japan between the 17th through 19th centuries. During the 1990s she noticed the ganguro trend where Japanese women would bleach their hair, darken their skin, and dress loudly. This along with an early exposure to kabuki theatre, sparked an interest in how Black culture was being consumed globally.