10/27/03

By intertwining allegorical portraits and black and white photographs, this body of work utilizes portraiture and personal familial memorabilia to portray concepts surrounding indoctrination and identity within the confines of a religious upbringing. Whether conveyed through visual allegories or the artist's intimate and nuanced exploration of religion and family, each photograph symbolizes the introspective reflection and recollection that arises when one confronts their past religious experiences. The title, 10/27/03, represents a date taken from a certificate given to the artist during childhood, following their baptism. This certificate marked their "spiritual birthday" and signaled the beginning of a "new birth experience". The date serves as a metaphor, signifying the conclusion of a child's naive perception of life as they comprehend it, and the beginning of a "spiritual rebirth". This body of work calls to question who gets to constitute the spiritual value of a Black adolescen