Cuba

The integration of 29 years of work in the area of African Diaspora communities

gathered momentum when I went to Havana, Cuba in 2014. It was this fundamental

experience of observing; talking and being with the Afro-Cubans in Havana that

everything began to come together for me. The discussions were primarily about art,

activism and the fact that many Cubans had not crossed the water and had not been to the

other side. My observations were very private as I watched on a daily basis the people of

Havana sing to their Orishas and make flower offerings to the Atlantic Ocean. I made

many drawings in Cuba and upon my return to the United States I created portraits of

some of the people that I met and included references with the background of the

portraits of Cuban art historical inclusions.

Cuba inspired me to research elements of water as it related to memory and identity. It

occurred to me that the relationship of water to identity is deeply rooted in our core as

human beings. The adult human body averages approximately 70% water; albeit it is

probable that all life is evolved on a molecular level from water. In October 2014, Pope

Francis stated the following at an assembly of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences-

“Evolution in nature is not inconsistent with the notion of creation, because evolution

requires the creation of beings that evolve.”