"Spikey Truths: Sweet Solutions" is a collection of paintings that encompass my approach to perceiving
and digesting both my personal life and the world around me. At its core, my work is a dialogue between
myself, people, and place, using art as a paradoxical intervention to confront racial trauma. By weaving
together historical narratives found in Black psychology, the Harlem Renaissance, the Black Arts
Movement, and Souls Grown Deep, I invite viewers to critically examine their own Lebenswelt
(life-world) shaped by direct and indirect societal injustices.
Central to my work is the use of food—specifically the pineapple—as a symbol of resistance. In 1853, the
pineapple traveled along the same Transatlantic slave routes as the first enslaved Africans brought to
South Carolina. What was once a luxury item used to signify wealth and status for slave owners has
become a symbol of both exclusion and resilience in the Black experience. While the pineapple was once
weaponized to represent hospitality for some, its vibrant, spiky exterior embodies a much deeper
narrative: the rejection of Black lives as "welcomed." I transform this historical fact into an emblem of
survival and reclamation, using the fruit’s cultural significance to inspire new memories rooted not in
trauma, but in strength and collective healing.
My work fuses elements of abstract realism and symbolism, employing vibrant colors, edgy
compositions, and thought-provoking imagery to create space for suppressed memories and unresolved
histories. Balance is the goal, but there is no rush—my style embraces chaos, emptiness, fragments, and
rigidity as I layer together what has been torn apart. Just as food nourishes the body, my paintings aim to
nourish the mind and spirit, offering a way to process trauma and reimagine the narrative of the Black
experience through the lens of resistance.
In this series, the pineapple becomes a visual metaphor for the Black community—its 200 flowers
symbolizing the strength found in unity, resilience, and survival. Just as food has historically been a site
of resistance, from the plantation kitchen to the urban gardens of today, my work reframes the
pineapple as a symbol of reclamation. By using the fruit's vibrancy and historical context, I urge viewers
to create a new memory that transforms trauma into liberation. While memory is imperfect, it shapes
our perceptions, which in turn influence our emotions and behaviors—both voluntary and involuntary.
Ultimately, my work is a love letter and a social commentary, calling on viewers to reframe their
memories, reclaim their narratives, and tell their stories on their own terms. I hope to reimagine the
pineapple as a collective symbol where we—like the 200 flowers that make up its form—come together
as a community. Through this reimagination, a hard conversation about racism and mental health
becomes more digestible. Like the persistent reminders of our racial past, I hope the pineapple becomes
a signifier of release, externalizing trauma and giving this nightmare called ‘life in a racialized society’ a
new story. Food has always been a site of resistance, and through this work, I aim to offer not just
sustenance but a way forward.
Invisible Wounds
200 Flowers..
Eye Slices
Epigenetics
Black Dont Crack
Helmet of Salvation
Spikey Defenses
