I Don't Have Enough Room to Stretch My Legs -- A Visual Exploration of Black and Queer Identity

My practice investigates the nuances of Black and queer identity, including my evolving relationship to Black girlhood and womanhood, honoring my Black and queer elders, and navigating the emotional and social dimensions of transitioning. Using sculpture, papermaking and relief printmaking, I create a physical representation of my fears and truths. I explore themes of cultural identity through a repeated visual motif printed on paper made from old middle school clothing. My process is multidisciplinary because the subject matter is multidimensional. The nuances of the Black and queer experience must be told in a queer way (as in 'strange' or 'unconventional'). The mediums I work in serve as pathways for visiting and reckoning with the different versions of me that have existed in the past, exist currently, and will exist in the future.