tell the water you love it
tell the water you love it portrays concepts around the body as terrain, Earth as ancestor and ancestor as self. My interest in Black science fiction mixed with the somewhat nation-less feeling I have as a Black American has led me to idealizing otherworldly imagery. Through travel, however, I have found that our Earth is actually very mysterious. I have latched onto these experiences through continued research and created a series that transforms science fiction back into Earth science; Earth science into an honoring of the ancestors. As city dwellers, our culture has separated us from nature in such an alienating way, and my attempt is to reconnect us as inhabitants of our natural landscape.
The series features Afro-Futurist drawings of landscapes, juxtaposing rough and smooth media with rock and water motifs to depict surrealist scenes of places that actually exist. My work explores phenomena including bioluminescence, cave formations, and volcanic activity. Using a style reminiscent of photo negatives while simultaneously gilded enhances the sci-fi-esque quality of the work.
Along with each piece will be a panel explaining the process by which the particular landscape was created, the location, and other pertinent information. The goal being to educate viewers on earth science processes using art.