Alison Saar is a multiracial, LA based sculpture, printer, and installation artist whose work relates to themes of the African diaspora, the way the body connects to identity, and the experience of powerful women complicated by race and gender. Compton Nocturne is part of her exhibition Mirror, Mirror, a collection of prints over the last 35 years, which explore self reflection as well as the relationship between identity and society. Many of the subjects in her work are informed by Greek, Roman, and African mythology. This piece is a re-interpretation of Saar’s sculpture, Compton Nocturne, which illustrates power in a woman reminiscent of an African deity. The image is based on Duke Ellington’s jazz song, “Harlem Nocturne,” known for its sultry qualities which connects to the bold depiction of the female nude in Saar’s print. Saar substituted Harlem with Compton, a predominantly African-American community in LA. The blue hues further the nocturnal aspect of the painting. Saar explains that the spirit bottle tree, originally a West African tradition used to lure evil spirits into upturned bottles, represents “her dreams that are being captured as opposed to wicked spirits that are trying to trespass.” The tree composed of her own dreams stemming from her head protects her despite her vulnerable nude position.