Photography/Mixed Media
Not This Time examines how language can both preserve heritage and estrange those disconnected from its origins. Wearing a Wonder Woman costume—an emblem of heroism—against the Vai script of Sierra Leone and Liberia, I explore an ancestral code fractured by colonization. The project parallels this longing for belonging with Kamala Harris’s 2024 presidential campaign, where conflicting narratives elevated and undermined her, revealing the nation’s unresolved tensions. By merging mythic imagery with a script many have inherited but can no longer read, the work becomes a space to mourn loss, reclaim identity, and question whose stories shape our collective future.
Known for its unchanging nature, gold symbolizes the enduring spirit of the African Diaspora. Just as gold does not lose its luster or form despite external pressures, Golden Vim: Untarnished aims to explore the indomitable nature, future, and beauty of Black culture that connects us and transcends borders. -.
Golden Vim: Untarnished
The lapa (fanti in Mende) is woven with meaning and tradition. It is more than just fabric in the African Diaspora. During celebrations, daily life, and rites of passage, the lapa carries legacies of generations connecting us to our roots and the fortitude of my community. For the Mende and Vai people of Sierra Leone, the lapa is an essential part of everyday life. For me, it’s the timeless bond to my mother; safety. No Forget You Lapa explores the many ways in which fanti dey carry memory and sacred lineage.