Sana S. Burney

Little Henry and His Bearer’ draws from Giovanni Battista Salvi da Sassoferrato’s painting ‘Madonna with the Christ Child’ (1609–1685). The Virgin Mary with baby Christ parallels female servants as custodian mothers and wet nurses during the British Raj, nurturing English children as their own. The child-bearer bond was reciprocal, with children protesting separation. The work romanticises this relationship, idealising racial dichotomy through a black bearer’s devotion to a white child. Love transcends race, class, religion, and ethnicity. The title comes from a story by Mrs. Sherwood.

Sana S. Burney is a visual artist and educator from Pakistan, currently based in England, UK. Her practice explores how post-colonial capitalist societies are shaped by the legacies of colonialism, informed by historical research and lived experience. She is currently pursuing a postgraduate certification in higher education while raising two young children with her husband and continuing to develop her art practice.