Immersion Print

Sights, sounds, smells, tastes, sensations, languages. So much of our environment impacts who we are, both currently and later on in our lives. I was born in Ethiopia and lived in Egypt, Malawi, Mozambique, and South Africa before graduating from university in Rhode Island. Day one of the last five years in the North-East commenced the production of this current body of work — a reflection of my third cultural experience. In this new environment, I was no longer experiencing what used to be daily life: streets bustling; black and dark-colored people; crammed minibusses; roadside paintings and sculptures; wax fabric wraps and clothes; traditional and electronic music; Arabic, English, Portuguese, Chichewa, Changana, Afrikaans (or an amalgamation of multiple languages) being spoken; the warm-hearted international community; my father’s Cameroonian presence; my mother’s Italian-American comfort. I began compulsively drawing. Expressed through my subconscious, a recollection of experiences, emotions, and energy brought to life a new visual language. Through marks and symbols, I created images evocative of concepts and aphorisms.