March 23 - 26
Made for Mom
2021
Inkjet Paper, 36"x48"
Waiting for Mom
2021
Inkjet Print, Terracotta tile, 24" x 36"
Artist Statement
I've always been a bit of a shapeshifter- a fiber artist, a sculptor, an anthropological ambassador for underrepresented creators all at once. Through my art, I seek to create a bridge to inspire community and open doors to more in-depth conversations around Black culture. With subjects as diverse as mud architecture in Mali, Kuba cloth from the Congo, and Nigerian terracotta pots, my work revisits familiar patterns in a new context of everyday use in Western society. Even though I use clay as my prominent material, the process varies in the creation of each piece. It’s not about a singular piece; it’s experiencing my universe as a whole. In a sense, it’s entering the homes of my ancestors through the soul of a modern, well-traveled, deeply connected, Bronx-born, mixed-media visual artist of pan-African and Caribbean heritage. Through these handmade objects, I find my place in a long, ancestral line of knowledgeable protagonists - black women like myself who, through their gestures, pinpricks, flourishes, and glazing, pursued dedication, mastery, impulse, and potency. It is ornate and muscular. Generous and spare. Historical but altogether contemporary. At its core, it's a sophisticated, un-broken mother tongue that examines the fragility of tradition while also seeking permanence and survival.