Soul Sisters

The story of these two beautiful ladies is rife with mixed experiences. It goes way back to when they were kids, facing rejection amongst peers in schools and finding new ways to adapt and live with the reality as adults.

The piece is titled “Soul Sisters”. Its meaning is assigned not just in my representation of stones in the composition alone, but also through the human interactions that ensued prior to creating the artwork: the narrative and social interactions on how both subjects connected by virtue of a common ground that they both experienced and can relate to.

When we observe the attributes of stones, so much can be said of their harmonizing effect of vibrational energies ascribed to them: a possibly relative mechanism through which humans leave an effect on another after coming in contact with them.

I find this very intriguing: having two individuals who have never met prior and can instantly connect with each other, despite having contradicting realities on the impact of facial markings and how it might have affected them on so many levels.

I have invited them to the studio to share their unique perspective on their facial marks. And as it turns out, they had so much to say, and each person has found a unique way to live with these marks.

The relative effect of facial markings on the body naturally depends on our individual attitude towards them. For some people, the presence of these marks can actually have positive effects on their well-being (which is the case with Mufu Onifade, as cited in the foreword), while others may not have a noticeable difference because they do not resonate with these marks, projecting an aura of negativity and a lack of self confidence.

The two sides of a stone. Through the use of stone, I aim to express a visual message laced with symbolic meanings in personal identity and self identity.