Artist Statement

Diaspora Archive is a photographic exploration of identity, belonging, and cultural convergence within the African diaspora. The project centers on first-generation Africans raised in the United States, whose lived experiences are shaped by dual inheritances—African heritage and African American cultural influence.

I had two subjects dress in streetwear attire which is rooted in African American cultures, and I pictured them in a local African market to symbolize how streetwear has become popular amongst many communities in the African diaspora. In response to this I then pictured another subject, dressed in African, specifically Ghanian, attire in a beauty supply store which are common in the African diaspora worldwide.

Diaspora Archive considers how culture is carried, adapted, and reimagined. It honors the fluidity of identity and the shared spaces that connect people across the diaspora.