I paint to tell stories…
Social confinements, sexuality, violence, gender politics (mostly women), minorities, and social disparity, have since the beginning been of interest.
Living in Italy for almost two decades has inevitably affected my work and choice of subject matter: The art of the Renaissance in particular, so present in Florence, has had a powerful impact on me: the theatricality and beautiful portraits, and even more so the fabulous use of colors and surfacetexture in the mural paintings. Furthermore, the presence of the catholic moral values so very rooted in this society together with the demands and expectations of that being a wife and a mother has afflicted my subject matter to a large extent not to mention the underlying hypocrisy and the juxtaposition of the Madonna and the whore dictated by a patriarchal society.
African culture and history have always intrigued me. I am captivated by the unique physiognomy of African people, their rich skin tones, and the compelling personal narratives of individuals, particularly as a minority in Europe.
In my artistic practice, I have begun to focus on male models of African descent for my nude drawings and paintings. This decision stems from a desire to reflect on and challenge societal perceptions and stereotypes. Specifically, I aim to address the objectification and fetishization of Black men, often viewed through the lens of sexualized desire by white women and envied by certain European men due to stereotypes surrounding physical attributes. My work seeks to provoke thought and foster dialogue around these complex and often problematic ideas but also to give voice to a female view of desire in juxtaposition with the ever-male artistic occupation of rendering nude women in their paintings.
The people I choose for my paintings are rarely people I know, rather I seek them out, sometimes putting myself in situations where I meet minorities like visiting retirement homes or hanging out in public places where minorities gather. Combining my impressions and drawings with the photos I take ideas come up where the person becomes the main character in a personal, social, religious, or political commentary.
As a Painter, I prefer to work with acrylics, watercolors, and ink, because they are more immediate and fit my character better. I do though turn to oils once in a while if it suits that particular painting better, and also because the acrylic paint has some limitations in depth and articulation.
The surface of my paintings is very important; that is, how things are rendered and the sense of texture. This is the reason why I sometimes use natural materials to enhance texture, which in turn creates a curious and interesting three-dimensional play with the rest of the painting.
I try to be playful and inventive, and I struggle hard to break away from traditional image-making. Working with watercolor collages, imprints, and different mediums on paper helps me to do that.
Artists that I look up to and who inspire me are Marlene Dumas, Francis Bacon, and Egon Schiele, and more contemporary artists are African American artists such as Kerry James Marshall and Njideka Akunyili Crosby just to mention a few.
