2024 Portfolio
adorned in our threads, 2024, Dutch elm wood, fabric, oil paint, resin, 14x14x69"
This piece serves as an archive of ancestral knowledge and all which runs through my veins that I am now accessing. Using Dutch elm wood with DED, this piece highlights Dutch wax textiles, which, through colonization, have become a staple in West African attire, contributing to the loss of traditional textile practices. Embedded through carving and application are a mix of traditional Nigerian, Ghanaian and Indian textiles. Crowning the head are Bantu knots that symbolize hair's cultural significance and role in beauty standards. How my hair is presented dictates how I am perceived in different spaces.
Redefining a Story Series I: Igbo
2024, glazed ceramic, gold embroidery thread, synthetic hair, 9.6x7.7 x 7.5”
This series features vessels as self-portraits of my ancestral lineage.
Inspired by Nigerian pottery made by the Igbo tribe that I found in The MET archives, this piece combines West African pottery techniques and Kalamkari (Indian) textile motifs.
A memory of my childhood when spending time with my Indian family members was attending Husay and dancing to the music of Indian musicians. With great admiration, I watched the tassels of the manjira move back and forth as the music filled the streets.
Redefining a Story Series II: West Bengali
2024, glazed ceramic, acrylic paint, synthetic hair, 11x11x10”
This series features vessels as self-portraits of my ancestral lineage.
Inspired by West Bengali hand-built watering pots, this piece was transformed to hold a traditional African hairstyle using synthetic hair. It's adorned with the patterns of Okene and Ilkal textiles I have woven myself.
Redefining a Story Series III: West Bengali
2024, Glazed ceramic, kente fabric, synthetic hair, 11x11x14”
Inspired by West Bengali hand-built watering pots this piece was transformed to hold braids that weave in and out of the pot using synthetic hair. At the base is the kente cloth, a woven Ghanaian cloth.