Journey, 2016

Love Letter 3

We are the symptoms of transformation. As we continue to grow, release, heal, forgive

and fall into unconditional love for self, as well as others- we welcome deeper awareness of self that reflects our reality and transmutes our trauma. We are the symbolization of life itself- cycles that allow us to be.

Healing is a constant orb of deconstruction and transformation that we can choose to unfold until the very last breath.

Somewhere in the midst of that, self-mastery is cultivated, shared, nourished and constantly questioned.

Healing is breaking free from our own illusions, doubts, fears and wounds. It's choosing to be the Fool, Magician, High Priestess/Priest and Hermit, all into one karmic wheel of existence to exist freely rather than exist to be identified based on our experiences.

Self-love is the preserving act of love, forgivingness and acceptance. The welcoming of every bit of ourselves, the holding of space for others and the care of being completely unapologetic about our authentic essence.

As we come face to face with who we are and who are not. We leave more room to choose what is best for us along this labyrinth of life. And in that, we are able to transform our personal and collective repetitional realities of societal, ancestral and generational experiences.

I am not an expert of sorts. I am a soul of experiences, who has a story. who has knowledge and who is like you; divinely human.

Graduate Jaee

a caterpillar to a butterfly. a phoenix rising. Phoenix rising from its own ashes, the metaphors of spiritual awakening. Healing is a constant rebirth. Unlearning-relearning, releasing-welcoming over and over again. The phoenix, a mystical bird that dies constantly in order to let go of the old identity.

We are abundant beings, limitless for the matter

I am here, my lovely dear -- to share that story through the lens of you and me, interwoven into moments of creation, interconnection and community.

The Blue Collection

Rooted

Her Story

Rooted is a material assemblage that honors the meaning of being "rooted" or planted in the rising of a new journey. On the floor is a nest that is covered in hair, soil and a growing leaf that brings an essence of new beginnings. As we remember to be grounded, it allows space for us to grow, align and connect with our ancestors, elders, youth and each other as the braids link us together. The frames challenge the notions of storytelling and weaving; to not leave anyone's narrative from the entire scope. That each narrative matters. The cyanotype photographs are ones that I took of people, friends and energies from protest settings and traveling into new places as one. Some images were also of sage, incense and lighters reminding us that wherever we go, we are the light and smoke that clears the fog.

Behind the Black fabric, there are affirmations that share the power of existence; some speak to Black queer and trans people and their worthiness, while others speak to women, care and the importance of Black joy.

To add to this piece, buttons are attached to carry the energy of difference and likeness all into one; enlightening us that "yes, we are different but at the core, we are the same." Each and every person on this planet are the call of Earth and home's MATTER, both humanly and divinely.

Her story is a material-based research collage that tell the stories of Black Cishet, Queer and Trans women who have been falsely incarcerated due to self-defense, speaking their truth or just being themselves. Her story is a piece that SHOUTS their stories aloud. During this time, I was working for a nonprofit who focused heavily on mass incarceration along with other unjust issues in New York State. While here, I realized that the work was approached through the lens of men and not queer and trans women, which moved me to create this piece and, in this space, further

Personally, I've witnessed many amazing women who have been incarcerated for unjust reasons and misdemeanors that were unfair and/or beyond them. This piece is for each one those stories., women, and/or deaths that was and still is forgotten. In America, there are countless deaths of queer and trans women of color that goes unprotested, ignored and not further researched due to many reasons that include discrimination or misconception. This piece is part of my contribution to the movement.

I added the image of Sandra Bland to remind us that this can happen to anyone; any women, daughter, mother, grandmother, aunt, etc... There is power in having a difference of opinion and knowledge and being killed should not be a result of it. Sandra was one of the few women whose story hit the mainstream over the last 12 years, her story opened a door for others to see the intersectionality in this fight, as we stand as one. There is change in personal and collective power.

Each of our story's matter and they have a place in this world that brings justice, peace, balance and change. We must protect eachother, and this includes our Queer& Trans Folk, Black Womxn and our kids They are mothers, sisters, aunties, cousins, divine beings, queens, goddesses, doctors, root workers, storytellers, lawyers, teachers, artists, caregivers, builders, farmers, nourishers, activist, leaders, organizers, etc... but above all identities,

THEY ARE LIFE and have a life. Just as your story makes a difference so does theirs. Silence is not enough.

Black womxn, cishet, trans, GNC, queer, and beyond. YOU STORY FLOWS THROUGH ME and I will never stop sharing it. You are seen and heard,. We stand together, always.

The Healing (Anger & Acknowledgement, Community Pain )

In American culture, Black women have been and still are trivialized,
stereotyped, and underrepresented in American history since the 17 th century.
From a general perspective, I create conceptual material based works that explores
the notions of internal and external oppression as it relates to history and
resistance. My past work explored my personal experiences of being a woman,
black, queer and survivor.
I confront the substantial stories from Black women who are disrupted by
stereotypes and misconceptions about sexism, sexual violence, beauty standards,
queerness, and identity. My creative process begins through the personal
experiences of understanding chauvinism, objectification, and the exploitation of
Black womanhood in America.

This body of work is taking a critical view at issues of race, sexuality,
gender, history and identity as it highlights women of color and the abominable
cruelty faced in America. The work is making visual connection to the current cycles
of systemic slavery, such as mass incarceration, police brutality, and
marginalization. This body is challenging the way we think of color, material,
imagery and language. It is taking a deeper look into the meaning of words and how
they can interchangeable.
As I look at the meaning of the words, respect, protection, and support within
my work, I approach the correlation between words and actions. I use materials
such as cyanotype sculptural elements as a way to consider meaning. My work is
addressing perspective, approach, cultural and generational experiences of systemic
oppression originated in the 1600s. I build this body in the critical space reflected
by the history of racism, activism, sexuality, gender, community, and identity and
self-liberation. It addressed the emotional, mental and physical triggers of both
cultural and generational representations of black women initiating from slavery in
America

My material based work explores the notions of internal and external oppression as
it relates to history and resistance. The work is making visual connection to the
current cycles of systemic slavery, such as mass incarceration, police brutality, and
marginalization. The sculptural elements are used to consider the meaning of
racism, sexuality, gender, community, identity and self-liberation.

The Healing (Acceptance, Care, Community Power)

Through illuminating cultural trauma to public memory, my intuition moves me to bring awareness to ending cycles of systemic oppression and history recurrence. By highlighting the correlation between oppression and collective identity, my visual healing methods of hair braiding, cyanotype “indigo” photographs, and interactive community installations take on the essence of healing.

The nature of my work integrates visual language, historical traditions and verbal dialogue to promote self-awareness, empowerment, forgiveness, accountability and education that welcomes both togetherness, and equitability for emerging communities of color. Through this nature, it creates an atmosphere for learning, building, and holding space for addressing power and gender injustice.

Exploration & Connection