Sabrina Tirvengadum’s sign language lesson took an unexpected turn when, asked to sign her skin colour, she chose ‘Brown’ – only for her tutor to insist she must describe herself as ‘Black’ in BSL. The experience prompted Sabrina to explore why sign language failed to capture her identity.

Article: https://wellcomecollection.org/stories/signing-my-skin-colour-

About the artwork

Sabrina’s creative process is rooted in personal photographs, archival material, AI-generated imagery, and digital painting. Usually, she begins with a photo or a drawing and feeds it into the AI, going back and forth between tools and techniques until it feels right. For instance, the protest signs held by people above come directly from the BSL Rally in London, March 2022, which Sabrina attended.

Sabrina does not see AI as a shortcut, but as a kind of collaborator. It doesn’t always give her what she wants, and that unpredictability has become part of how she creates. It opens up space to reinterpret history, memory, and truth. This collaboration with AI has become a meaningful part of Sabrina’s creative process, helping her reimagine fragments of the past and explore new visual possibilities.