“I aim to show how western culture negates and undermines the place of black figures—to explore this displacement by bringing visibility to these usurped figures and acknowledging their presence within western backdrops, often by superimposing a greater black presence in a corrective manner. These three paintings correct Edward Dalton Marchant’s Portrait of Emperor Nicolas (c. 1852), Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring (c. 1665); Nejron’s stock photo Queen in royal dress and luxuriant collar (c. 2013).
     “The intersectionality between the traumas of blackness, womanhood, and (the disadvantaged) class becomes readily apparent in my work. This plane of intersectionality is conceived by hegemonic powers that narrate either our invisibility or roles as Jezebels, Mammies, Sapphires, or deviants—and I combat them by depicting black beauty and excellence, breaking free from imposed identity and exploring new ranges.
     “It’s important to see the black protagonist, the black leader, the black achiever, while still consciously alluding to and rectifying the otherness imposed on black figures. My paintings’ fantastical fruitfulness gratifies my inner child but also often acknowledges the ‘making do’ of the past and the often unconventional charm these memories have, a nostalgic lens I look back through onto my childhood memories, that points towards resilience. The past, present, and reimagined spaces all pull together to varying degrees in my work.”