Why I Create
Artist Statement
At the intersection of blackness, queerness, and spirituality, my work seeks to challenge and expand the boundaries of African identity. I explore the permissions granted to the black body in this world, the expansions available to the black soul, and the existence of queer bodies in a continent that often denies their history.
My artistic practice is a continuous return to these themes across various mediums. In music and soundtracks, I delve into the realm of spirit and magical realism. My photography, as seen in the Pagans series, and films like Stories of Our Lives confront and celebrate queerness. The exploration of black permissions and black worlds permeates works such as the VR short Let This Be A Warning and the depictions of wry world-weary Kenyan dystopias in the We Need Prayers series.
I am particularly interested in restoring black spiritual infrastructures, advocating for cultural justice, and questioning the dominance of Eurocentric knowledge systems at the expense of indigenous and alternative ways of knowing. This questioning intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the facade of global solidarity crumbled, revealing stark truths about which lives mattered and which were deemed dispensable. The period of vaccine apartheid, where African nations were left waiting while wealthy countries hoarded supplies, transformed my understanding of humanity's capacity for collective care. We survived despite the world's indifference; a revelation that continues to influence my perspective on global systems and human connection.
My work often blends reality with the surreal, embracing the supernatural elements deeply rooted in African cultures. As an artist straddling multiple mediums, I've come to see interdisciplinary practice as a strength. Each medium offers a unique way to capture and convey the layered feelings and stories I aim to share. Music for the abstract and unnameable, film for stories that demand eye contact, community projects for the pursuit of justice and belonging.
Through this work of mine, I hope to contribute to a future where we, these black bodies, these queer bodies, are present and thriving.
My artistic practice is a continuous return to these themes across various mediums. In music and soundtracks, I delve into the realm of spirit and magical realism. My photography, as seen in the Pagans series, and films like Stories of Our Lives confront and celebrate queerness. The exploration of black permissions and black worlds permeates works such as the VR short Let This Be A Warning and the depictions of wry world-weary Kenyan dystopias in the We Need Prayers series.
I am particularly interested in restoring black spiritual infrastructures, advocating for cultural justice, and questioning the dominance of Eurocentric knowledge systems at the expense of indigenous and alternative ways of knowing. This questioning intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the facade of global solidarity crumbled, revealing stark truths about which lives mattered and which were deemed dispensable. The period of vaccine apartheid, where African nations were left waiting while wealthy countries hoarded supplies, transformed my understanding of humanity's capacity for collective care. We survived despite the world's indifference; a revelation that continues to influence my perspective on global systems and human connection.
My work often blends reality with the surreal, embracing the supernatural elements deeply rooted in African cultures. As an artist straddling multiple mediums, I've come to see interdisciplinary practice as a strength. Each medium offers a unique way to capture and convey the layered feelings and stories I aim to share. Music for the abstract and unnameable, film for stories that demand eye contact, community projects for the pursuit of justice and belonging.
Through this work of mine, I hope to contribute to a future where we, these black bodies, these queer bodies, are present and thriving.