Multimedia sculpture (maad seeds, soursop seeds, mango skin, mango seeds, olive pits, persimmon seeds, tamarind seeds, oyster shells, clam shells, teeth, lips, noses, resin, plaster, joint compound, acrylic paint, silicone, fiberglass mesh, enamel paint, spray paint, flashe paint, hand etched glass, plywood)
41” H x 33” W x 3.75” D
2024
Maad Code: the elephant and the tamarind tree is part of an ongoing series. The Maad Code introduces the Maadphabet, a code inspired by the seed pods of the Maad fruit (Saba Senegalensis), native to Senegal. These seeds, in particular, came from fruit grown by my mother and, to my knowledge, are a rarity since it is nearly impossible to find them fresh outside the continent.
Hand-etched into the glass is a Wolof proverb written in Wolof, French, and English. Wolof, traditionally an oral language, is written using characters given to us through colonization and Islamization. In response, the Maadphabet is a “tonal language” devoid of accents and unspoken, with each character replacing the Latin alphabet. Through this work, I aim to flatten linguistic boundaries and create space for the viewer to impress their own narratives onto the work based on the titles given to each piece in the series.
Here, “the elephant and the tamarind tree” speaks to the meaning of the proverb: “An elephant knows nothing of the tamarind tree but to shake it or leave it be”
The backing of the work features seeds and peels not only from Maad, but also from soursop, tamarind, mangoes, persimmons, and olives—fruits commonly found in Senegalese dishes or markets—that reflect the history of trade and globalization. Within this landscape are oyster shells and casts of fragmented faces, referencing the Atlantic and the history of the diaspora.