The Collection

Hoist marks a turning point in my practice, when my visual language began to take shape. I approached the work through improvisation, allowing gesture and instinct to guide the image. What might traditionally remain as process is left visible here—the drawing is not beneath the painting, it is the painting.

I made this work during the global pandemic, at a time when uncertainty was constant. Despite that, I felt a sense of optimism rooted in new birth—the emergence of a new way of working, and a broader cultural shift taking place.

There are subtle references to the African-American church, a space historically used for gathering, reflection, and the formation of revolutionary thought. The figures, dressed in their Sunday best, suggest celebration—something being lifted, something beginning.

Hoist is about emergence: of a language, of a feeling, and of the enduring capacity to create meaning in the face of instability.