In “Osain,” I pay homage to the Yoruba orisha of healing, herbs, and the sacred intelligence of nature. This work is my way of honoring the deep connection between the spiritual and botanical world a relationship that has shaped and sustained African lives for centuries.
The figure you see is a custodian of ancient wisdom, holding not just flowers, but a living archive of healing and ancestral power. Each bloom, each leaf, carries its own story. They’re not just beautiful they are purposeful, symbolic of protection, knowledge, and transformation.
The blue cloth cradled in his arms is especially important to me it represents responsibility, the kind we carry when we hold sacred knowledge. Whether it’s medicine, culture, or history, there’s a weight to preserving and passing it on. I wrapped him in European-style garments intentionally not to mimic but to reclaim and elevate Black spiritual identity within a visual language that has long excluded us.
The chameleon, the dragonfly, the lace nothing is accidental. They are spirits in disguise, guides of change and camouflage, reminding me that healing is not always loud or visible. Sometimes, it’s quiet, slow, and deeply rooted.
Through this piece, I invite viewers to look beyond the surface to see Osain not just as mythology, but as a reminder of what we risk forgetting: the medicine in the land, the wisdom in our lineage, and the power in silence.
