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Desert Raven, 2022

(Created with Wadi Rum, Jordan)

 

This piece represents the connection between the femininity that I see in Jordan and my ancestral lands in Turtle Island. Here, a woman sits in a teacup bathing herself while wearing a Raven mask to see perspectives beyond this world. As she washes herself, she is given time to reflect, pause, and re-remember the root to her culture. Culture is inside her. The desert sky above her melts into the mountains as the stars electrify her body.

 

Question of Exploration: What does it mean to walk as a good guest in unfamiliar lands and to merge the lessons of the lands you know as home, with the lessons of the lands that you are creating home within?

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Cyber Terrain, 2024

(Created with the Mediterranean in the South of France)

 

In the center of this piece is a woman figure with the head of a robotic raven. From all limbs, branches appear to be pulling the creature apart.  This piece encourages us to imagine a future where tribal cultures, technology, and land come together. As we imagine our future, how can we recognize the role that technology will be playing in our lives? How can these elements come together in harmony?

 

Question of Exploration: With the technological advancements we see and can anticipate, how do we prioritize the land and spiritual relationships to weave within this? Rather than dividing technology from spirituality, how do we see these two forces as allies rather than enemies? 

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Take me to my Kin, 2023

(Created with the Mediterranean in the South of France)

In this painting, two figures are intertwined with one another in a tender embrace. Their hair transforms into the flowing rivers below them, while a backdrop of swirling and dynamic patterns unfold around them. While loving, their relationship to one another remains unclear. Like many perspectives on love, we unconsciously categorize every relationship. This piece expands love into all crevasse of our lives. It reminds us to feel rather than to analyze. It reminds us to redefine platonic and romantic love. It demands us to embrace all of those around us, without attempting to enforce social rules on the ways we love. 

Question for Exploration:  How can we encourage our circles to recognize and celebrate  platonic love alongside romantic relationships? How can we practice love more freely, rather than claim love with only one person? How does communication play a role in the ways we expand our views of love?

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Decolonial love, 2021

(Created with  lək̓ʷəŋən Lands)

 

This piece is the inspiration that led to the creation of the ‘Kiss for Freedom’ series of artworks. “Decolonial Love” shows two women gazing towards one another. With vibrant contrasting colors and green waves extending outside, this piece demonstrates the merging of two worlds. It was created to act as a reminder to embrace decolonial love… the love that lets our ancestors kiss our cheeks, the love that lets our families see the real us, the love that extends beyond a gender binary,  and the love that we have for ourselves. 

 

Question for Exploration: How does this artwork invite us to reflect on the concept of decolonial love and its transformative power in reshaping relationships and identities? 

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Weaving, 2022

(Created with  lək̓ʷəŋən Lands)

 

“Weaving” explores love within the context of ancestral and land-based relationships. Two figures wrap themselves around each other while bringing together the skyworld and the waterways. When thinking about decolonial love, we think of how this relates to our relationships with other humans. This piece was created when I was in a period of reflection, trying to identify how I define sexuality and love. This reflection led to the realization that our ability to love, and those we choose to love, can be mirrored to us from the natural world. Our plant, sky, and animal kin all continue to role-model the ways we can love, as well as free us from gendered views of loving. With that, there is a responsibility for stewardship- to ourselves, to our communities, and to the land. We can become stewards to our hearts, letting it love authentically and vulnerably.

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What We Owe, 2024

(Created with  lək̓ʷəŋən Lands)

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This piece speaks to community collaboration and the gifts of each community member. On the left, you see two trees sharing a cup of tea. This reflects the value of relationally in our communities. At the bottom, you see a flowing, alive water system that reminds us of the role of water -both literally and symbolically- as an essential part of our survival. When you look up, you see three circles in the sky: the raven, the eagle, and then the moon. This reminds us that each member in our community holds a perspective and unique viewpoint. The raven sees the lower level, the eagle can fly higher, and the moon gives us a whole new perspective from up above. Each perspective is needed to understand our lands and our people. 

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So when we do this work, we must remain grounded in knowing that each person has a perspective and a gift for the circle we intend to create. 

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Extending out of the middle are the same swirly lines that are also seen in the banners. This shows us that everything is connected to one another and our stories cannot be separated. I ask that when you look at this artwork, you reflect on what it means to be in community, what each person has to offer in our communities, and what collective care feels like. 

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Ask yourself: How do I imagine community care? How do I prioritize some perspectives more than others? How do I limit my understanding of peoples' gifts to the community?