ROSE

2nd Prize Winner, iCanvas Digital Art Award

Edition 1/10

Twelve years ago, I embarked on a series of works inspired by classical African art and black women. There was no political or social agenda driving me at the time, my motivation was solely rooted in a profound fascination for the aesthetics of both. African art, with its boundless artistic freedom in portraying the human form, served as a wellspring of inspiration for me. Additionally, the sculptural and distinctly pronounced features of black women have a profound artistic charm, which I find alluring. As time progressed, a social element gradually interwove itself into my work when I began to receive positive and often emotionally charged responses from black men and women. I realized my work could have an impact, that through my art I could contribute something by emphasizing the beauty of black women especially in my series of Black Madonna’s.* This series is harking back to the tradition of the Madonna/Virgin Mary, a central figure in religious and artistic traditions for centuries. She represents motherhood, divine grace, compassion, sacrifice and offers solace and support to those who identify with her image. I depict her often with tears, tears as a means of underscoring the notion that vulnerability and the expression of emotions are not indicative of weakness but rather emblematic of strength, resilience and the determination to overcome challenges. ‘Rose’ is my most recent 'Black Madonna’. My process is experimental, intuitive. I do not have a preconceived notion of what the outcome will be; molding, folding, building, combining, applying streaks and blobs of color… I’m curious to discover what will happen. When I’m at work I become a part of it. I’m stepping into my work. I’m not fully aware of what I’m doing. I don’t have rules, nor methods. I’m observing and studying, I’m pushing myself to find an alchemy between me and my subject until I am my subject, until my soul melts into my art.