The Children of Middle Passage series was created to memorialize the countless children and young people that perished during the Middle Passage of the trans-Atlantic slave trade whose names and identities have been erased. In order to erase the anonymity to which these children were relegated I titled each portrait with a traditional African name and a corresponding village. It is very possible that a young girl by the name of Ye was kidnapped from the Ashanti village of Ejisu and later perished on a slaver crossing the Atlantic.
It is my hope and belief that when we commemorate spirit beings that met tragic ends in works of art we provide that spirit a peaceful and loving resting place. The Children of Middle Passage series is such a body of work.
The Chrysalis Series imagines spirits transforming from their earthly reality into angel beings. This series is informed by the transformational experience of caterpillars morphing in a cocoon into beautiful butterflies.
The Returning Angels Series imagines the spirits of murdered children restored, reincarnated and returning to the natural world as exceptional healers, educators, artists, scientists, philosophers and socio-political activists on a mission to improve the human condition.
