Notes from the Artist

Now That I’m a River is the most recent iteration of my ongoing project using the process of a snake shedding its skin to explore various states of personal transformation.

This latest shedding takes place during the Carnival season: a cyclical, transformative period that coincides with a relaxing of colonial regulations on what our bodies can look like and where they can take up space. This interdisciplinary mas is centred around a snake that sheds its skin and becomes a river: a metaphor for the cyclical relationship between celebrating femme sexuality during Carnival and violently suppressing it throughout the year, a tense dynamic which contributes to gender-based violence in this space.

Now That I’m A River draws inspiration from the Orisha, kundalini mythology, Jungian dream theory and Trinidad’s folklore character Mama D’leau, a protector and healer of the river who is often depicted as part woman, part snake

Team

Behind the Scenes