Ozara (Wealth)

Song II in the Song of Degrees series.
Acrylic and ink on canvas, 20 in. x 20 in. x 1.5 in.

Ozara is Arabic for “treasure, wealth” and Igbo for ‘desert’, marking sites of exchange, including marketplaces, community squares, religious centres, etc.

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The Song of Degrees series traces the movements of families of African descent, past to present. Depicting the upheavals and transformations experienced from generation to generation, these relief maps reimagine Black American identity around the notions of community and exchange, faith, and remembrance.

What have we inherited, whether physical or spiritual, that is worth carrying forward?
What have we inherited worth examining, reclaiming or discarding?

Leveraging directional lines, warm colors, and a prophetic script, I represent the dynamics between an “unknown, unseen” people and their ongoing legacy.