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 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 not because the world chose to save us, but despite its apparent 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 not as a limitation, but 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, and community projects for the pursuit of justice and belonging.
My work explores the complex intersections of African identity and queerness in an increasingly polarized world, seeking to find balance between confronting the challenges faced by queer individuals across both local and global spaces, while equally celebrating the resilience, joy, and dignity of our communities. These explorations have taken on new urgency in the wake of recent global crises, which have laid bare both the persistence of systemic inequalities and the extraordinary resilience of marginalized communities.
Through my art, I strive to contribute to a future where we are not just present, but thriving—a future that honours our past, confronts our present, and imagines new possibilities for African identities and experiences. This vision has evolved to encompass not just artistic representation, but a deeper questioning of what true global solidarity might look like, and how we might build systems of care that extend beyond the boundaries of nation, race, and privilege.
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 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 not because the world chose to save us, but despite its apparent 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 not as a limitation, but 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, and community projects for the pursuit of justice and belonging.
My work explores the complex intersections of African identity and queerness in an increasingly polarized world, seeking to find balance between confronting the challenges faced by queer individuals across both local and global spaces, while equally celebrating the resilience, joy, and dignity of our communities. These explorations have taken on new urgency in the wake of recent global crises, which have laid bare both the persistence of systemic inequalities and the extraordinary resilience of marginalized communities.
Through my art, I strive to contribute to a future where we are not just present, but thriving—a future that honours our past, confronts our present, and imagines new possibilities for African identities and experiences. This vision has evolved to encompass not just artistic representation, but a deeper questioning of what true global solidarity might look like, and how we might build systems of care that extend beyond the boundaries of nation, race, and privilege.