Research & Statements
Artist Statement
My artistic research centers around my identity and ancestry as an American Descendant of Slavery (ADOS). I have spent most of my life behind a mask of societal creation and seek my identity outside of that through art. Through an interdisciplinary studio practice, I investigate my ancestral link and community. I share my research and oral history in the hopes of creating concepts and broader global views that communicate and connect to viewers.
Through moving pictures, found objects, and objects I fabricate myself; I tell stories forgotten and left behind through systemic racial policy. I aim to create performance tableaus that invoke sensory perceptions to create new memories and expound upon the juxtaposition of history and memory. My use of found objects and material fabrication creates multidimensional narratives. With the use of clothing construction and 3D software, I embody ancestral voices. I perform spoken word as a means of channeling lineage.
The use of OLED screens in items and on walls bring my images to life and tell stories long forgotten. I employ biodegradable and nonbiodegradable materials to visually juxtapose memory with history in my interdisciplinary practice. My work is important to questioning history as memory when the Black Native is armed with tools to actively debate narrative outside of Black perspective in American history and culture. Through a practice such as this, I'm able to take back autonomy over Black history and myth.
Research Statement
My research investigates the complex interplay of identity, home, and spirituality within the Black community, particularly as experienced by Black Natives with transcultural ancestry. Through visual/performance art, written and spoken word, informed by memory and history, I explore Black identity, its erasure, and the impact of socio-economics on the Black home.
I work as a "convergence artist," combining mediums and dimensions without clear material divisions. My methodology involves in-depth investigation into chosen artistic materials and their "material residency time" - the duration of persistence in a medium or place - to understand how they convey meaning and occupy time and space.
Drawing from Christina Sharpe's concept of the "wake" as a metaphor for Blackness and being, I examine states of being and aftermath. My work engages with the "Woke" movement as both an historical consciousness and contemporary ideology, seeking to understand awareness within the current socio-political climate surrounding Black experiences.
Through art, I aim to fill the void of forgotten Black souls, challenge negative connotations and physical harm surrounding Black Native identities, and celebrate the experience of being a Black Native woman with transcultural ancestry. My practice is inherently interdisciplinary, integrating visual arts, performance, literary arts, cultural studies, philosophy, and material exploration to create a holistic understanding of Black Native identity and experience.
