Sankofa, 2022
Deconstructed sneakers, fubu denim, joggers, fabric, sewn on canvas
58 x 36 inches
As a multidisciplinary artist, I am constantly reinventing my works with tools and mediums based on experiences of what I call, “Black Sustainability.” For Black folks, sustainability has always been a survival mechanism to preserve family resources from handed-down clothing to collecting plastic bags within other plastic bags. I am intrigued by contemporary fabrics and materials that have become memorable pieces within the migrations of Black cultures. I keep the previous owner’s original usage in mind while deconstructing them and infusing them into “energy collages,” a term I use to describe my art which consists of a collaborative approach to deconstructing and reconstructing thrifted and gifted fabrics. My mission is to curate shared feelings with sustainable art through upcycling and reintroducing these materials as avatars of events, feelings, and actual people of the Black diaspora.
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