Black Art Matters

THE KINGS CONSORT 

A Queen she stands.
Pure as the driven snow and Opulent, attributes of her Clan
Fierce as the iconic African Lioness.
An Apex predator, basking in the dawn of her prowess, 
Unapologetically, she controls the seas,
Submits to her command with love everything she sees.
From the crown on her head
To the animal skin sheets on her bed,
She exudes majestic glory,
armed with ancestral ascendancy in her inventory.

The King"s Consort #3/19

akimbo /kmb/

adverb
with hands on the hips and elbows turned outwards.

Timket is a celebration that takes place in Ethiopia every year. 

Orthodox Christians commemorate the baptism of Jesus during Timket. If you havent guessed already, the word Timket translates to baptism. Growing up in Ethiopia, I recall these times bringing excitement and joy to many households as they prepared for the festivities.

In 2016, I traveled from Australia to Ethiopia for a wedding, which happened to be around the time of Timket.

With my Nikon camera in hand, I wandered down to the main street of my parents neighbourhood and documented the street celebration!

Akimbo #5/14

I paint because the spirits whisper madly inside my head.

I have always been a lover of the renaissances / old masters paintings. I loved how they created their masterpieces even with the limited tools they had, and these masterpieces still stand today

You could feel the elegance in them 

Oh my the emotions from the pieces are always 

One thing I can say is the renaissance has changed my perception towards ART and I see photography is a different manner now

THE RENAISSANCES MAN #10/21

Untitled (2019) 

In order to know where you are going, you must understand where you are coming from. Untitled is representative of the perception of black women documented throughout history. Its about the conditions given to you that dont match what is expected of you. 

You should be soft, yet you are constantly placed in a position where you need to be the opposite to survive. You are forced to be a protector but who protects you? You cant fall apart, and if you dare to, you must do so quietly because judgement awaits you. 

Silence in the shadows because if you dare complain, criticism awaits you. Lets not forget, it is all in your head. Life is fair, to everyone, including you. 
In order to know how to navigate where we are, we must also understand where we were.

Untitled (2019) #17/20

Gold Buster #20/26

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed; We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal
Martin Luther King

Fleeting #12/18

Bloom is a mixture of the portrait of an African woman and a lotus type mandala design. 

A mandala in art is a geometric set of patterns, colors, and shapes. It is most often presented in a circle, but can also appear as a square. The patterns emanate from the center of the mandala.

A mandala symbolizes the universe. Its repeated patterns, colors, and shapes are meant to show the universality of the human race and the connectedness of societies and nature.mandalas represent the ideal form of the universe. The act of creating a mandala represents the transformation of the universe from a reality of suffering to one of enlightenment.

Bloom #6/14

The piece "The Day Before" some of the pre-market activities that still take place in some areas of the state now as well as in the past. My mother used to tell me stories while I was growing about how she and her siblings would visit the farm, the creek and the bushes to harvest farm products to sell on market day.

This work honors both my mother"s youth and the tales I grew up hearing.

The day before #8/9

Can you remember who you were? 

Before the world told you who you should be? 

A reminder to embrace our authentic selves and break free from societal expectations.