Language of the Forgotten Series

Language of the Forgotten is a paired exploration of ancestry, memory, and cultural reclamation grounded in the philosophy of Sankofa—the act of reaching back to recover what has been forgotten in order to move forward with intention.

Each painting centers a figure emerging from a quilt-like field of Adinkra symbols and kente-inspired patterns. Functioning as fragments of memory and cultural knowledge, these symbols create a visual archive of inherited wisdom, history, and tradition. The figures' faces are rendered in black, shifting attention from individual identity to collective experience and shared ancestry.

Raised lines and symbols sculpted with clay foam introduce a tactile dimension to the work. These textured surfaces act as a way of tracing lineage, mapping ancestral connections across generations and transforming the paintings into sites of remembrance. Together, the works become a metaphor for woven history—separate stories joined into a unified whole, connecting past and present, self and community, remembrance and becoming.

Title-Sankofa Nkyinkyim (Akan) — "Returning Through Transformation

Medium-Acrylic Paint, markers, Ankara fabric and oil pastels and Clay foam on Canvas

Size-18×30in

Year-2024