This self-portrait references the work of Romuald Hazoumé, one of Africa’s foremost contemporary artists.   His interest in the Yoruba tradition and the influence of the past is evident in his work and has also been a dominant theme in my own.  His work looks to the past whilst questioning the present, and our shared concerns - cultural and environmental - are central narratives we both explore.  

 

My figure sits squatting amongst polluted debris, harking back to a time when this primitive seated position was natural and ubiquitous, when people were more connected to and protective of the earth.