Artist Statement
Although born in Southeast London, my Sierra Leonean and Lebanese heritage usually feeds directly into my practice. Through the exploration of ethnic identity; I aim to convey a sense of empowerment to often marginalised ethnic groups.
I look to start an ongoing discourse confronting socio political issues, specifically with regards to the perception of various demographics as being of lesser humanistic value. With the disenfranchised often being undermined by the mainstream media; which somewhat paradoxically reflects an archaic hierarchy of status showing similarities with colonial philosophies. Such ideologies are arguably still present within modern society.
Using antique texts and maps as the canvases for my works has been a constant within my practice. This process of bringing new value to often disregarded items creates a cohesion between the concepts behind the work and the aesthetic output. As I empower various figures; I simultaneously do so with the ground used as I place them within new contexts. Often using myself or family members as the subjects of my portraits creates a sense of immediacy apropos to navigating the intersection of my western upbringing and my African culture.
Regularly drawing with pen enables me to call upon traditional draughtsmanship techniques, influenced by sketches from the high renaissance. Through an almost contradictory process of using this relatively modern art medium with a classical approach to mark making: I look to celebrate authentic drawing within the digital age.
