Pagans (2012-2013)

The series began as an exploration of forgotten African deities but evolved into something more fundamental: a visualization of the profound states of consciousness that existed before organized and mainstream religion, when the first humans—our ancestors in this region of Kenya—first conceived of spirituality, of dance, of the otherworldly and the unknown.

These images exist in a space between imagination, memory and possibility—occupying that in-between space where multiple traditions and futures converge. The series poses questions about inheritance, identity, and spiritual autonomy. It challenges viewers to consider their relationship with inherited versus indigenous spiritual practices, and to imagine what might be possible if we reconnected with our oldest ways of knowing.

As these images continue to be exhibited and viewed, their meaning evolves. What began as an exploration of forgotten deities has become a meditation on consciousness, resistance, and the persistent power of Black spiritual imagination. They stand as testament to the enduring capacity of Black bodies and minds to access states of transcendence, despite centuries of systematic attempts to sever these connections.

Before there were written scriptures or organized religions, there were bodies in motion, minds in communion with the infinite, and spirits reaching toward understanding. This capacity for transcendence remains available to us, waiting to be reclaimed.