Sculpture…Photography…Creative Direction
Doni doni kononi b’a nyaga da (little by little the bird makes its nest)
Is the second sound/sculptural suit in the “Legacy” collection series.
2022
Kanekalon braiding hair, beads, wire, and photo
This shoot and piece is inspired by 50s-80s Malian portraiture and the intertwining symbolisms of Queerness found between hair braiding, gender, and Black culture.
Model: Amaechi Kofoworola
Akka hin’cabne beekaaf bishaan dhagaa irratti utaala (the water knows that it will not get hurt and that is why it jumps on the rocky floor)
2021
Video, audio, photo, Kanekalon hair, Doo Gro, wire
39 x 1 x 59 inches
Created during Covid in response to the ongoing crises in Ethiopia and the ethnic cleansing of Oromos in and around the Oromia region, this specific healing portal was created as an oasis for rest, grief, renewal, memory, and connectivity.
indigo den (indigo child)
2023
Photo, Kanekalon braiding hair, wire
Third piece of the Legacy sound/sculptural suit and photo series. Exploring indigo’s spiritual and historical significance in Mali and studying the winged like braids of the Afar tribe of Ethiopia.
Models: Nene, Oumou, and Fanta Traore
There is no future or freedom without the youth. indigo den offers an inside look at our phantom protection and their unwavering preservation of our dreams and inner child, focusing on the relationship between the ancestor and the descendant.
Creative Direction and designer for DONY fashion house.
2024
Photographer: Oumou Traore
