BIO
- Born in Port Aux Prince, Haiti
- Parents, political exiles at the hand of dictatorJean Claude Duvalier
- Family was repatriated to New York City
- Parents working in international humanitarian development, leading to the family becoming ex-pats in West Africa
- Raised in West Africa: Niamey, Niger & Dakar, Senegal
- Returned to the US, for High School in Louisville, KY
- Undergrad Work, at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
- Moved to NYC and participated in the foundational moment of the commercial web. the dotcom boom and a career as an interactive and interaction designer & art director
- Worked in Advertising, Publishing, Corporate & Pharma
- Collaborated and worked on a number of Film, Industrial Video, documentary and stage projects
- Moved to Philadelphia to refocus on his art practice
- Co-founded and ran Art/Assembly, a fine arts space, focused on theory, process & practice
- Became a consultant focused on Service Design, business process analysis & human behaviour research using the design thinking methodology.
- Adjunct professor at University of Pennsylvania School of Design’s Fine Arts Department, teaching classes in Video Art, Interactive design, Visual design and socially sustainable design practice
(Art of the Web; Intro to Video; Interfacing Cultures; Art Design & Digital Culture; Design 21) - Continuing Studies Interactive media Instructor at University of the Arts
(Designing for the Web & Development for the Web) - MFA studies at University of Delaware
- Delaware Master Naturalist studies
- Adjunct professor of art at the University of Delaware (Core Moving Images & Painting)
- Adjunct professor of art at Moore College of Art and Design Graduate Program (Art, Life, Work)
- Adjunct professor of art Rutgers Camden
(Conceptual Art)
Artist Statement
For the hidden voices, the quiet stories and the lost sights
In the time I have left in this life, I want to reveal, celebrate, and honor the lives and experiences of Afro-diasporic people around the world. Utilizing a post-colonial Afro-Caribbean perspective and drawing from frameworks of postmodern feminist, queer cultural theory, as well as the new environmental movement, I aim to employ the language of time-based media—such as sound, video, tech art, performance, and installation—to create engaging revelatory spaces. Works to encourage meditation on the often-overlooked and consistently hidden aspects of the diasporic experience.
In this process, I aim to present a counter-narrative to the conqueror’s canon by focusing on the “minor tales” of the vanquished. I intend to combine stories from the past, observations of the present, and visions for the future to provide an alternative perspective. Through their telling and visualization, I seek to challenge the dominance of the “major voice.”
By exploring the empty spaces obscured by society’s dominant narrative, I hope to uncover fragments of the myths, dreams, and wishes that make up these “minor tales.” In this exploration, the mundane and the spectacular, the boring and the engaging, are reflected in a way that amplifies the unheard voices of people whose lives have often been neglected. This neglect may stem from willful forgetfulness of trauma, forced indoctrination, or the systematic erasure of their existence within society’s prevailing narrative.
I aspire to create fictionalized spaces where real history, contemporary reality, and imaginative narratives intersect. This intersection offers us the opportunity to discover, accept, forgive, recognize, and address the victor’s chronicles in society. My storytelling approach employs both Western and non-Western structural elements, with a focus on feminist and queer lenses to engage the audience effectively. By combining the ideas and concepts of postcolonialism and intersectionality with empathetic observation and curiosity, I aim to foster deeper understanding.
I intend to present my observations of the African American experience, exploring themes of time and manipulation of perceptual constructs of self-awareness. My work speaks to our diasporic ancestors on the mother continent, reflecting on the lasting trauma of the journey across the water to the New World.
Additionally, I want to depict the daily frustrations, challenges, and constant mental fatigue of life in America. These depictions will be interwoven with personal stories of cultural trauma, systemic abuse, and the prolonged artificial suffering perpetuated by the state, elites, and misguided masses. However, I will contrast these negative realities with stories of success, victory, and celebration, showcasing the strength and resilience that exemplify the extraordinary spirit of African American identity. This identity has enabled the diaspora to continually persevere in the face of overwhelming adversity through talent, intelligence, creativity, courage, and grit.
In this work, I want to celebrate these tales which the major voice has ignored and downplayed. Using the freedoms granted by fiction, the poetry of images, and a re-imaging of history. I want to celebrate all of the ways in which people were transformed by encounters with and within this nation; their relationship with the land, its nature, each other, and other minor voices, bringing it all into their present selves.
Through my work, I wish to celebrate the tales that the dominant narrative has ignored or downplayed. Utilizing the creative freedom of fiction, the poetic potential of images, and a reimagining of history, I aim to honor the transformations that individuals experience through their encounters with this nation. I will explore their relationships with the land, nature, each other, and other marginalized voices, integrating these experiences into their present selves.