The Yusephinum Project is a multimedia episodic narrative that tells the story of a protagonist named Nym. The Yusephinum Launch Exhibit premiered this past June, 2022 in the 9th Avenue Gallery downtown and served as the first chapter of the larger project. This exhibit was a multimedia art installation that depicted the first steps of Nym’s journey. Future installations are slated to be released in sequence, and will continue to tell Nym’s story as he encounters various iterations of himself who span the spectrum of race, gender, and sexual orientation. These iterations are a metaphor for the multiplicity of the self, exploring the complexity of identity and self expression. Broadly, this project serves to provide representation for Queer, and BIPOC people in fantasy genres.
Black southern culture is rooted in themes of rebirth and resilience. There is no more powerful figure to carry that culture than that of the Black woman in America. Ascension is an installation consisting of a series of portraits depicting six Black women dressed in white, wading in dark waters. Together these women form a familiar tableau within Black southern culture. A river baptism.
Baptism in the South is not just about religion or piety, it is a rite of passage. It is an outward acknowledgement of our need to be reborn, and dedication to a bedrock of the Black experience, the church. When one is submerged in the river, one leaves the past and moves into a new present and future. When you emerge, you are reborn. But it's not just about following a religion or deity; it is about being able to cleanse oneself of hardship and pain by believing in an ultimate purpose bigger than ourselves.
Ascension is a surrealistic view of the power of Black culture that is rooted in the need to believe in a higher power. It is a nod to the strength of Black women and our need to find resiliency and belief in all things. It is a visual representation of the power of black women to ascend against all odds.