Artist

Futuristic technologies have not saved “us” from racism, sexism, police brutality, red lining, or gentrification. As an artist-activist, I lean more towards the visual and social aesthetics of the African diaspora to uplift marginalized women and feminine identifying non-binaries. It is my duty as an artist-activist to teach and learn truthfully and boldly: finding fulfillment through knowledge, introspection, and public service. My content is about the aesthetics of living in America on the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, age, and class. Common themes in my artwork and research are Black hair politics, beauty politics, queerness, colorism, generational trauma, the Black Arts Movement, Afrofuturism, intersectionality, Black feminist theory, popular culture, rootwork spirituality, identity politics, and power.

We are in a tumultuous moment of history where oppressive systems operate in plain sight and behind the scenes. My paintings, drawings, cut paper, assemblage, and writings are my expressive forms of kuumba, “to do always as much as I [we] can, in the way I [we] can, to leave this world more beautiful than how I [we] inherited it.” I see painting, drawing, assemblage, cut paper, and writing as parts of singular storytelling and veneration for art/ Black history.

I theorize and explore the color palettes and geometric patterns of West African textiles. I apply the historical significance of color, rhythm, and texture to generate fresh compositions of abstraction. 

Abstraction is used to examine relationships of femininity and social bias. Hair extensions, nail extensions, wooden beads, acrylic beads, language, and personal totems become abstracted sculptural manifestations of resilient Black feminine energy.