The stories are fables; a mythological presence pervades. They are morality tales, magical, resonating dream emotions and images; shifting ambiguous terror, mystery, implied revelation. But they are also stories of real life, now or whenever, constructed in weirdness and poetry in which the contemporaneity of essential themes is clear. - Amiri Baraka
While photography acts as a mode of thought and expression of individuals, I am looking to unearth the universal language that makes up Black life, thus photographing the living into eternity. The way I come to make images is entirely instinctual. It starts with simple encounters of a person, place, or thing that lead to the questions: How can a portrait possess the same beautiful, yet sanctifying energy of praise and worship at a Black Christian church, while also holding the raw and dramatic attitude of a Chief Keef verse? How can I make a photograph that smells like chicken wings and pork fried rice? My works involve portraiture, still lives, as well as the use of photographic material such as found, moving, and still, images. The body of work provides, constructs, and illustrates evidence of Black life and humanity exploring themes of memory, love, death, freedom, and religion. The photographs I make come from a space of curiosity and fascination while also existing between the familiar and the strange.
Moreover, I am really interested in human beings. We’re very fascinating creatures in our natural state. I intend to use medium or large format cameras to sustain and protect the language of Black life with care, love, and diplomacy.
