DOC 234—34/2
Silk; Kola nut, Oak Galls, Black Walnut Hulls, Steel
Taking form through the African Kongo Cosmogram, a sacred symbol that maps the four stages of existence—birth, life, death, and spiritual continuity—this work acknowledges the cyclical nature of time. The suspended textiles become portals to both the seen and unseen, linking the earth’s materiality with the spirit world. The search for origins is nuanced, for the artist, these fragments of memory are often elusive and fragmented, requiring rituals to decode their meanings. Influenced by the traditions of Hoodoo—an African American folk spirituality born in resistance—this work channels the transformative power of Hoodoo’s healing and protective practices. Developed through the blending of West African cosmology, Native American spirituality, and European folklore — Hoodoo was born in resistance, a magical practice used to safeguard against brutal forces during enslavement, segregation, Jim Crow laws, and current oppressive systems.
In tracing the contours of a heritage both distant and immediate, this work is a spell for progress, an invitation to reclaim histories and cultivate a future informed by spiritual resilience to resurface cosmic memory.