"Decolonizing the Mind" Painting

There is infinite potential for art and imagination to completely change the world we live in. The contemplation of how to go about transforming our socially constructed reality along with advocating for social change, are two of the main concepts that fuel my work. It is essential that we become more informed about the true history of America and the layers of white supremacy that blanket it in order to be a part of deconstructing it and bringing about a paradigmatic shift. A shift in the consciousness of white America that not only allows the majority to see the systemic racism embedded in our country’s framework, but a way of being that also promotes empathy, interconnectedness, and the desire to radically transform what most of us have come to know and accept as the American way of life. A way of living that encourages individual achievement and accumulation of material wealth over the health and wellbeing of others. A way of living that provides white Americans with privileges most are not aware of, a false sense of entitlement, and the subconscious belief that people of color are inferior. My work is an attempt to challenge what most of us have come to know and accept as the reality of the world we live in, as well as to cultivate socially engaged imagination to develop ways to change it.