An Artistic Tribute to My Ancestors

Everything We Touch is Gold

The piece above marks a transition from jewelry production to a more intuitive artistic journey to learn about my ancestry. The bronze and aluminum pieces are from 2018 Blakbird Jewelry prototypes that wanted to become something else. I never could have imagined that a jewelry business that struggled to take flight for years would help my family to find me. This mixed media piece took me on an interesting journey to find out what it wanted to be. I realized that it does draw inspiration from my ancestry. The first thing I think of is the Benin Bronzes and Akan gold from Ghana, there are some echos of Catholic iconography and Spanish and Portuguese influence. This site is an ongoing exploration. So far I have no methods other than to follow my intuition, listen to my ancestors, and honor their memory in the most beautiful way possible-through making art. There is immeasurable pain here but the alchemy of art is to transform it.

Photo: Tell Hardy 2021