ARTIST STATEMENT

Being a biracial Ghanaian American with a multicultural background, I struggled with feelings of displacement at a young age. My formative years were spent raised between two continents. This gave me a unique upbringing as an Oburoni Koko which informs the foundation of my work. Oburoni is the colloquial word for foreigner in Fante, the primary language spoken in the coastal region of Ghana, where my maternal side is from. "Oburoni," translated into English, means "person from beyond the horizon," and "Koko," the word for the color red, is used as an adjective to specify those of mixed race.

My father, an avid amateur videographer and photographer, documented much of my transatlantic childhood and familial history. Over the years, I have archived hundreds of his photos and hours' worth of family VHS tape recordings. My work utilizes nostalgia to explore the significance of memories on one's understanding of the self, provoking questions on the meaning of home and identity. By examining these moments in time, I create a touchstone to the past, reconciling what it means to navigate the present as one who has come from 'beyond the horizon.'