Date of Graduation

5-2022

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts in Art (MFA)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Art

Advisor/Mentor

Rana Young

Committee Member

Zora J. Murff

Second Committee Member

Rebecca Drolen

Third Committee Member

Aaron Richard-Alan Turner

Fourth Committee Member

Adam Hogan

Keywords

African Art, African Jujusim, Afrofuturism, Afrosurrealism, Art Criticism, Identity, Surrealism

Abstract

My relocation to America has presented an unprecedented space for self-examination. The components of my identity and personality have been laid bare before me; My blackness in the face of racism and white hegemony, my African heritage in the face of post-colonialism and imperialism, and my faith in the face of an increasingly secular western culture.

Am I who thought I was? Am I more or less? Why do I feel like a different person, and what does this mean for my future?

My research and art practice serve as a form of introspection. I tell an internal story in a quest to unfold my mythos. Actors become possessed characters, serving as spirits and gods. They all represent me and various facets of my identity. Through my practice of directing and writing, I learn more about myself. In the Akan culture, we are named after our sex and then the day of the week. My name is Kweku, A Boy Born on Wednesday.

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