I am a Jamaican Canadian Textile Artist & Independent Curator.
Cultural African retention, oral traditions & rebellion resistance are at the basis of my practice.
As I sew to worship my ancestors , I consider their tactics required to survive enslavement & indentured labour. I sew to heal my Jamaican family’s inter- generational trauma.
The archeological and historical denial of African ingenuity, information transmission and geographic direction provided in the Underground Railroad African American Quilts triggered my transformation and emergence as textile artist.
In an act of healing & ancestral worship, I amplify positive childhood memories and gather energy from maternal influence in my practice.
During the 17 years between 2003 and 2020 I owned and curated my independent gallery, Studio Visuals @ 503 Queen St. East in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I have since redirected my curator lens to focus on Collaborating with well established Visual Jamaican Artist Joshua Higgins & the under served Caribbean Art market.
I produce arts events in Jamaica, Hamilton & Toronto, Canada.
Production & Curation’s
Oct 2023- Inna Visual Stylee, Joshua Higgins, Kingston Jamaica.
Oct 2019 – Sew Uncommon & Exuberant Patchwork.
Sew Uncommon is an inspirational collaborative exhibition composed of recycled textiles, quilting, embroidery, hand stitching and photos with the elicitation of memory at it’s foundation.
Recycled textiles, quilts, a dress and historical family photos serve as catalyst to re-call oral stories told to exhibition visitors. I explore the mathematics of quilting and contemplate my family’s resilience . The photo’s pay’s homage to ancestor’s known and unknown and correlate the locations on route and colonial sea passages through time. Middle Passage from Africa to Jamaica, Indentured Labour from India to Jamaica, Jamaica to England and England to Canada
The quilt patterns are re-interpreted as African symbols , mnemonic devices guidance for survival and mechanism of cultural retention.
2003-2020 – Studio Visuals
I am an auto-didactic, creating and evolving in the role of curator for myself at Studio Visuals. My practice is experimental & experiential. I work in the positive state of colonial resistance. My perspective developed in rebellion out side the context of European museum, gallery and academic values.
