My work reimagines the mind and body as a landscape, the emotional terrain shaped and marked by memory, loss, reclamation and liberation.
In my paintings, I leverage the features of maps to explore liminal spaces.
POINTS OF DEPARTURE
POINT OF DEPARTURE (n.) -
1. the starting point of a line of thought or course of action
2. The precise location of a vessel, established to set a course esp. a voyage or expedition
This collection of small works is a series of unfixed atlas entries where the boundary between the paper and the birch reflects the expansion of a single thought. Through the fluid sweeps of cerulean, Naples yellow, and India ink, these abstracted maps do not seek to navigate a physical terrain, but serve as meditations on expansion and memory as a layered medium.
SONG OF DEGREES
The Song of Degrees series traces the movements of families of African descent, past to present. Depicting the upheavals and transformations experienced from generation to generation, these relief maps reimagine Black American identity around the notions of community and exchange, faith, and remembrance.
What have we inherited, whether physical or spiritual, that is worth carrying forward?
What have we inherited worth examining, reclaiming or discarding?
Each symbol is drawn from akagu and nsibidi, ideographic language systems from Nigeria (Igbo). Each piece has an Igbo name as a tribute to West African heritage and to the tradition of call-and-response.
MICROCOSMS AND PLANES
Microcosms or miniature worlds are small works whose details invite us to look closely at our inner world.
What catalyzes connections, eases or adds to internal tension? How does our body show that it needs our attention?
These paintings model moods using color and texture.
CARTOGRAPHY SERIES
The Cartography series examines our journeys as we navigate our headspace, moving from inspiration to evaluation. These maps integrate imagined topography with automatic writing and color to depict liminal spaces and moods.
How do you recall places of significance to your mind? How do you locate “home,” and/or your happy place?