Artist Statement
I believe people should be able to see themselves in media; especially those who rarely get the limelight. When I read stories, watched cartoons, and looked at art, I’ve rarely seen black women and people in them. Were there works by black people for black people? Yes, but they tend to be in realism or cubism arts, live-action shows, non-fiction or drama books, and so on. I want to see someone who looks like me in fantasy stories and films, in light-hearted media without struggle around every corner. It’s why I’m thankful there are more of these qualities present in today’s time, but now I want to add in my works in these spheres.
I mainly put black women, girls and femmes as the focus of the art in different themes. Placing them in all sorts of fantasy tales, myths, and beings to shows how multi-dimensional the black diaspora can be when explored. Seeing elves, mermaids, fairies and more looking one way since I was a kid, I always wondered if there was a place for me to put myself in. I found communities of black people around the world thinking the same way, and it became stronger in the midst of 2020 where a boom of new black art, stories, outfits and so on were born. These inspirations reignited my personal belief there are people out there who want to see what I wanted to see.
Experimenting with different mediums under mixed media helped expressed the whimsical and freeing sides of my craft. Instead of being trapped with in one, why not do multiple? Like adventuring into the unknown like the stories I have read.
Fantasy with different black faces is what I wanted to see for the longest, and realizing I can make a dream into a reality with my own hands, I will continue to create pieces down a magical path towards adventurers who’ve been waiting for more works like this.