Allen-Golder Carpenter
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Afotèz: Paper, Cotton, Stone. / SAMSARA
October 22nd 2022
von ammon co. Washington D.C.

A “thesis” project loosely similar to an MFA, but done outside of an academic environment, the idea being that you don’t have to be inside a schooling body to have your ideas validated and challenging what a thesis even is, and the rejection of the standards and confinement of white western academic art language. Done through a dual project presentation, the primary thesis project “Afotèz '' and “SAMSARA” a sub-project which delves deeper into certain themes of the primary thesis. “Afotèz”, is a replacement word for thesis which combines the Yoruba and Haitian Creole words for thesis, Iwa afowoko and tèz. The contents and overall body of work explore the spectrum of the modality of black people, externally, internally and transcendentally through usage of the metaphoric usage of paper, stone, and cotton respectively.

Paper represents external perception of black folks, fickleness, instability and unreliability, stone being how black folks see each other, for better and worse in cases of both strength and rigidity, and cotton being how we’ve transcended, representing transformation, resilience, and tact.

SAMSARA, a project that hinges on the idea of reincarnation, or the samsaric cycle that is integral to several eastern theologies. illustrated through the usage of reclaimed, and often discarded/garbage material, in the act of recycling. Giving new life to objects that would have otherwise ended up in landfills or decaying on the sidewalk. The main goals being to educate people on the ecological/environmental impact of the garment industry, and of overconsumption as a whole. As well as inspire individuals to find a deeper relationship to the clothes they wear.

Presented as an exhibition of selected works from the projects and accompanying artist talk in conversation with Daniel Adegbesan, the presentation is accompanied by two publications of the same name, available for download here