This artwork is part of a series I am developing titled – “Ubuntubami”, inspired by my profound need to know myself and my ancestry. I have found that, due to the vagueness of African historical documentation, a lot of key details relating to my ancestry were lost in translation or simply never documented. My approach is more critical than light-hearted, accompanied by an element of abstraction. I attempt to express it through several means: Digital Media, Writing, Dance, and Performance, with Digital Media being the primary mode of execution.

Unknown – A work that focuses on identifying the fluidity of my ancestry. This goes beyond just knowing, this piece speaks to understanding self. I may know I am a cocktail of cultures, but before I claim to know myself, I need to understand the differences within me and how they work together. In learning the intricacies of all these differences within me, I can then move from “cultural appropriation” to “cultural appreciation”. Unknown is the visual representation of what I can best describe as an inner being, representing the turmoil, deconstruction and collateral beauty that comes with seeking identity.

Rudiment – “A primary principle”, a genesis. This piece speaks to the identification of my fractured
ancestry. Although it may be fragmented, I have found a starting point for the tale of my being. A place
to begin rewriting my “identity.”

Heard – This piece depicts the most reliable source of information in Ubuntu, The Word of the People.
As those gone before me carried the voices of our ancestors in their tales, I shall too.