Artist statement:

"I want to repurpose the exoticism, danger, and animalism projected onto black bodies. The series visualizes the de-humanization black people face on countless levels, and turns it into a message of empowerment."

Drown In My Magic shows humanoid water creatures. Some are equipped with fins, or sharp teeth, others could almost be confused with homo sapiens. They once beached, got caught in nets and cages - but they find healing in community as well as their way back into the sea.

In the loose narrative, the character's care for each other trumps their intergeneratonal trauma.

Self-mythologizing, I thematize what it means to be dubbed "black" - to have an oppressive notion of race imposed upon, and to thrive nonetheless.

In my work I focus on bodies with nature, let landscapes reflect emotions, and sometimes incorporate slight surrealism. Often I use myself as subject, as starting point for an exploration that continues with others.

This story wasn't entirely mine to tell -darker skinned bodies can never benefit from colorism as I do, and the ripples of racism don't just affect the African diaspora. Shot in Siné Saloum, Sénégal, with a local crew, we combined props and digital post production to tell an intimate, universal and unapologetically fantastical story.