Artist statement:

If I were to sum it up these words would be the exact intention I want embedded in my work. I want to get away from  displaying our pain/struggle which I feel is hyper fixated on in art. I want to focus on Black Joy. But I feel "joy" alone is inadequate to fully cover the depth and breadth of all that we are... all that we need. This is what I want my work to DO. I want to create an inconvenient truth to disrupt and challenge the narratives created and fed to us by others.

I want to give space to heal and to be visible, to see ourselves in ways that only we do. I want to create doors, options, and hope for others to find the strength to walk through. I desire to create with intentionality, to challenge, to affirm, and to dream.

To me, this process; to dream, to imagine, to paint, to document, to exhibit—it is more than art. It is a revolution. It is the power of creation. This is a manifestation of my purpose.

• Jemel B.