Statement

From a Yoruba perspective, I consider how objects can transport one through time and nostalgia. Though fictional, my sculptures reference functional objects and serve specific purposes in the slippery space. Objects are crafted in metal – electroformed and fabricated; in stone – chiseled and carved to establish a direct connection to the Yoruba people. For me, the act of chiseling, carving, and braiding are connected to memory: digging to reveal, automatic movements of the body, connect to shared histories and cultural experiences.

Comparable to a symbiotic partnership, I work in tandem with my materials. In the studio, time with materials and process is necessary, whether it is carving repetitively into a block of wax, forming a sheet of copper or observing the parallels of molten metal to a physical manifestation of memory. After fluid and playful material study, I ebb and flow through periods of intense production and assembly. Through a variety of sculptural techniques, smaller, carefully crafted pieces become parts of a larger abstracted whole. Here I begin to find relationships to form and emotional expression. My sculptures coalesce and speak to each other through connecting threads of material and concept.