Kinship

Kinship

Kinship delves into the ancient, sacred bond between humanity and the natural world, rooted in African beliefs of dominion, survival, and respect. The man, with an animal skull resting on his head and obscuring his face, symbolizes not just authority over nature, but the merging of human and animal, life and death. The skull becomes a vessel of ancestral wisdom, where survival is a constant dance with the forces of nature. This piece reminds us that dominion over animals is not about control, but a deeper understanding of our place in the cycle of life. In African traditions, humans and nature are intertwined in a delicate balance, passed down through generations. Kinship reflects this unity, where life feeds on life, and death becomes the inevitable threshold we all must cross. Through this powerful visual, the art piece is also a stark reminder of our own mortality. As the skull covers the man’s face, it serves as a reflection on the transient nature of existence that no matter our connection to the earth, the animals, or the world around us, we are all part of the same cycle, bound to return to the earth one day. Kinship invites us to confront this reality, offering a meditation on life, death, and the eternal bond between them.