Untitled, Self Portraits, 2nd Iteration
We cannot truly separate ourselves from the roles, society has imposed on us. We are constantly in relation to our physical, spiritual, and mental world and must reckon with that truth. True integration, true convergence is the awareness that these social dynamics exist.The various e totality of who I am. When creating these self-portraits, I also remember that we are of this world, that humans do not exist in a vacuum, that nature and natural elements also contextualise our human experience. I believe that the flora of a region also creates a cultural impact and has stories of its own. If we are to live fully integrated as species on this planet, the use of natural matter brings us back to earth and ground us. We are no longer just ideas, and constructs but fully actualized being as part of our natural ecosystem.as societies continue to rapidly expand there is a growing concern or lack thereof for our natural spaces and the ecological makeup of the places we inhabit. Earth and natural element are central to African storytelling. We see this in folkloric stories using animals and plants to help personify the human experience. Our path to becoming is intertwined with nature, and I believe it’s important that we acknowledge it in our storytelling.
