I am fascinated by the transformative act of becoming. The metamorphosis of the past self that is no longer, the current self that is, and the future self that will be. My intrigue led me to explore how impermanence, liminality, selfhood, and agency shape our understanding of becoming and belonging, and ultimately impact the human experience of evolving. Working with vintage and contemporary images, found materials, and my own personal photographs, I construct figurative collages, primarily centering Black women and girls, to reflect the formation of the lives we design, the selves we create, and the person we grow into.
Creating hand-cut collages allows me to contemplate emotions, complexities, and revelations found in the solitary and communal moments that help to make us, us. It also gives me a space to question and challenge narratives about conventional ways of living, while imagining more expansive ways of being.
Connections between identity, time, and place emerge in my collages, an art form I appreciate for its whim and intimacy. The tactility of cutting, tearing, arranging, contrasting, and pasting repurposed materials into layered compositions can signify both a reflection and a reinvention. Collage, for me, is an intuitive and fluid process of the hand and heart that offers a chance at renewal.
Artists and writers Mickalene Thomas, Betye Saar, Carrie Mae Weems, Lucille Clifton, Claudia Rankine, and Toni Morrison are influential on my work.
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Follow my journey on Instagram at @createdbycmt.