Exhibition Statement

Artworks of a Thin Man was created during my first summer living alone in New York. Working from the basement of a small house in Queens, these paintings became a record of change, uncertainty, and discovery. Living in the city broadened my perspective, giving me greater access to museums, artists, and creative communities while deepening my understanding of African art, Black American history, and pop culture.

The exhibition title is inspired by Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited, borrowing from the song Ballad of a Thin Man. It also reflects something personal—I've been skinny my entire life and have always struggled to gain weight. The title connects that part of my identity with a period of growth, using portraiture, symbolism, text, and layered imagery to explore memory, identity, and the human experience through my own visual language.