heiress to a vision of forbidden gardens (2018)

This work is inspired by a visit to the Cloisters. I came upon the Belgian medieval tapestries 'The Hunt of the Unicorn' (1495-1505) and was struck by the eloquence of the journey of the unicorn and how after it was killed surprisingly was reborn in the last tapestry. In my work I appropriate the unicorn's mythical symbol of healing and resurrection seeking to transform Black narratives that are often times mired in a vivid spectacle of pain.“ The title is taken from the poem Extracting the Stone of Madness by Alejandra Pizarnik that eludes to things we know, yet are forbidden to speak about.

...my body opened at the knowledge of

existence and of being, confused and diffused 

my body trembled and sighed to a forgotten 

song not yet a fugitive of music I knew the place 

of time and the time of place I opened for love 

and moved through the rhythms of a lover 

an heiress to a vision of forbidden gardens”

-excerpt from Alejandra Pizarnik’s poem Extracting the Stone of Madness