About The Artist

Statement

I’m interested in the study of human behavior, its psychological and emotional impact on society and how society affects the collective and individual consciousness. I address social issues and the human condition through observational analysis, narratives and the use of codes and signifiers. My use of traditional and non-traditional materials allow me to reconstruct the meaning of these materials and objects while shifting through frameworks of time references and fluctuating dual meanings of communication.

My practice is rooted and influenced by two things: African sculpture and the African American community where intellect and intuition is synthesized and not mutually exclusive and the practice of using whatever is available to create is the norm. The work is functional and layered with meaning. What I mean by that is that the work is activated when the viewer participates and is engaged in it. These are the spaces which I'm most familiar as opposed to art institutions. This is what has shaped my philosophy of art is life. This mantra is how I best describe how I approach my work and what I hope the viewer gets from it.      

My current body of work is titled "Paper or Plastic?" the work consists of mixed media drawings, sculptures, and installations. This body of work responds to a discussion I heard between two African American individuals, male and female. The female was discussing her daughter in terms of beauty but with historic discriminatory terms. The male described himself in the same terms but also in an ostracized context. The basis of their pride or lack thereof was based in intra-racism and colorism, which occurs when a group of people discriminate within their own race or ethnic group based on skin color, and physical features (ethnic phenotypes) which result in color caste systems. This observation was the impetus for this series and for me to ask questions about emotional baggage, ostracism, media and mainstream culture's idea of beauty and how it is internalized, standardized testing that may be culturally biased, and a host of other things. I also wanted to investigate if these ideas still exist? What are some of the practices? Are there other things affected by this today and now? Do people continue the cycle by participating in it and if so are they aware of it? These are some of the things I explore in this series.