ACCESS TO WATER FOR BROWN BODIES

Acrylic, Silkworm Cocoons and Raffia on Linen
36in x 24in
2026

"Access to Water for Brown Bodies"  looks at swimming and water as something that was never freely given, but often controlled or delayed for Black people. The hanging fibers and shell-like details reference both labor and care by echoing hair, shorelines, and things shaped by time and touch. Water appears here not just as leisure, but as a space where permission, safety, and rest had to be negotiated. As part of the Black Maritime series, this work holds water as a place of memory and resistance against restriction.