Gatewood Art Gallery
October 11 – 30, 2020

Artist Lecture: October 15 at 7:00pm

In my practice, I create situations in which I communicate and connect with others as a means to better understand myself. In this way, my practice is a seamless extension of my life. Founded on generosity, collaboration, and honoring difference, my work facilitates exchange, dialogue, and inclusion. Drawing on the traditions of performance and socially engaged art, I often make choices in my practice that challenge the profit-driven commercial art market and prioritize relationships with my participants.
Because of COVID19, I have adapted my art practice and made it accessible online. My current project, The Oracles from Outerspace, creates an out-of-this world Zoom environment. As the intergalactic receptionist, dressed in a holographic dress, lights, and a blue wig, I welcome participants into the waiting room. They have the opportunity to speak to an Oracle, an interstellar being waiting for them in a breakout room. Oracles are able to address any topic, ranging from relationships, family dynamics, and self-care to big questions about the universe. As I believe in supporting the Latinx community by creating bilingual art experiences, each of the oracles also speaks Spanish. As I received a grant from the City of Raleigh, my primary community audience was from the Raleigh – Durham area, though we spoke with participants from North America.
While I strive to provide truly interdimensional and interstellar experiences, my other project, Art Therapy for Activists, is a bit more down to earth. In collaboration with art therapist Alby Gyimah-Boadi, I have launched a free initiative that provides art therapy to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) activists. Future iterations of the project will also focus on people with disabilities and the LGBTQ community. Our pilot session featured artists, therapists, and data scientists, all working with communities in the common pursuit of social justice. These sessions are opportunities to bond with like-minded individuals and practice self-care.
My most important collaborative relationship is with myself. My drawing practice is where I come back to for reflection, processing, and self care. My most ambitious drawing practice to date is my 30-foot continuous scroll, which I drew between December 2019 and April 2020. When I started this endeavor which served as an epic document of my life, I had no idea that I would finish it in the midst of a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic. Despite all of the current uncertainties, my drawing practice has sustained me and has helped me have the headspace to develop my other work.