ARTIST STATEMENT
My practice primarily focuses on Mixed Media paintings, Digital illustration and String Art, where I use nails and thread to craft intricate three-dimensional images.
My work is shaped by African heritage, contemporary life, and the lived experiences of Black/African women. I explore existential themes such as fragility, solitude, free will, and the tension between desire and choice, while navigating the interplay of internal and external landscapes. The internal reflects my subconscious and inner world, while the external encompasses the role of culture, identity, and environment in shaping the self.
Central to my practice is the idea of human beings as vessels that hold memory, emotion, and experience. Through glass-like, luminous figures, I reflect on Africans and humanity at large, as carriers and creators of their own narratives. My influences include psychology, philosophy, history, and culture, which mirror my position at the intersection of being young, African, and a woman.
By placing African experiences in dialogue with universal existential questions, my work invites reflection and fosters a deeper understanding of Black womanhood and African identity in the global contemporary art scene.
My imagery often returns to four recurring elements – Tiles, Clouds, Water and Vines. Tiles embody the internal, intimate, enclosed spaces of self-awareness. Clouds and water open outward, suggesting the vast and shifting collective experience of culture and nature. Vines weave between these poles; a metaphor for growth and ageing, connection and loss, resilience and abandonment. They tether the inner to the outer, reminding me that identity is never still but constantly intertwining.
My practice is always expanding, moving towards new forms and dialogues that will further elevate African representation while engaging with the universal complexities of human existence.
Ultimately, I seek to elevate the monumental within the mundane, encourage honest self-reflection, and spotlight the lived experiences of Black women.