Traditions Gave Him the Strength to Find His Own Path (2018)

This is a detail from a recent Collage-Painting I created, telling the story of a young man who emigrated to Colorado from the Democratic Republic of Congo (then called Zaire), with his family when he was only eleven years old. The son of a medical doctor, his is a large, educated family with deep Catholic roots and strong ties to their home. They came from the capitol city of several million to the Denver area when it was much smaller than today. Throughout his life he has struggled with this duality. On both sides of this painting his hands are busy struggling to balance symbols of Catholicism and African conservatism, while his arms are shedding skin, revealing the individual within. Symbols of good fortune, following one’s dreams and personal strength are revealed by the beetles, giraffes and the elephant bursting forth amidst the struggle.