Ubuntu

Paper, wax, cowrie shell, wire, cotton, linen, board

26 x 33

$2800

Mystic Favelas

Oil, Acrylic on Canvas

24 x 36

$2500

Aala Oni

Aala Oni is a Black-Indigenous queer femme and interdisciplinary artist exploring the many nuances of sexuality and identity, interdimensional pathology, intergenerational trauma and revolution by way of ritual. Oni dissects each of these concepts by implying psycho-sociopolitical commentary through large textured mixed media works, compound visceral sculpture, sacred ceremonial performance and documentation stemming from the diaspora. With her paintings and sculptures primarily at the forefront of her practice, Aala uses sensory textures to elevate her work and connect the observer somatically with the pieces. The overarching theory is that all these intricate components of formulated identity are interconnected and confounding descendants of the global plague of colonialism.

This concept of 'Spread Love, It's the Brooklyn Way' aligns with my statement because spreading love by way of kinship and solidarity within the Black and Brown community, specifically in a historically radicalized and racialized cornerstone of New York such as Brooklyn is ritual. As an artist, I strive to highlight elements of erasure within our lineage by immortalizing our emotional capacity in abstract storytelling. "UBUNTU" specifically means "I am because you are" which to me is the epitome of what it means to actualize love and oneness between one human being and another. We are all reflections of those we share energy with. This piece was a deep dive into my darkest moments, however, I wouldn't have survived without those moments and I am sharing this visceral vulnerability as an act of love to remind someone else they are love themselves.