~Ceramics~
~Paintings~
~Collage~
~Drawings~
~Gifs~
~Screen and Linoleum Block Prints~
~Graphic Design~
works made with Photoshop and Procreate
~Homage~
Homage (2020) was an exploration into my own ancestry and how beauty standards drastically differ from culture to culture. Sometimes I wonder who I might’ve been if I was still in touch with my own heritage, but unfortunately, a lot of that has been wiped away. As a person with facial piercings and tattoos, I have an admiration for body modification and an ever-growing interest in how older indigenous/tribal cultures used modifications in their everyday lives. In African traditions, it is common to see Scarification; a ritualistic process where the skin is cut in a myriad of ways on the face or body to produce specific designs that heal into thick scars that symbolize one coming to age, different tribes, one’s social status, marital status, or was used simply as a way to beautify.
I was really struck by how they used this process as a way to beautify. Here in the States, smooth, flawless skin is sought for and desired. I admire that something so taboo, “disgusting,” and bloody was and still is a way that people express themselves and show their unique beauty. To honor my heritage and this sacred practice, I made “scars” out of unfired porcelain clay, and adhered them onto my face and neck in a specific pattern to exemplify my features and to express my own form of beauty.
~Video~
~Film & Digital Photography~
Shot with Canon EOS Rebel T3
Shot with SX-70 Polaroid…
coming soon