The Souls of Black Folk 

The Souls of Black Folk is a series of portraits inspired by W.E.B. Du Bois's 1903 work, which delves into the African American experience through concepts like the "veil" and "double consciousness." Du Bois describes "double consciousness" as the internal conflict experienced by subordinated groups, where individuals are forced to view themselves through the eyes of a racist society, leading to a fragmented self-perception. And he describes the "veil" as a barrier that separates Black individuals from the rest of society, representing exclusion and the feeling of being an outsider in one's own country.

Drawing from the primitivism of the avant-garde movement—a style that often exoticized, stereotyped, and misrepresented African cultures. The subjects in this series, while acknowledging African art's impact, also attempt highlight the problematic nature of primitivism, which often reduced complex culturesto simplistic and stereotypical representations. Rather than presenting caricatures, the subjects' Blackness is conveyed through their expressions, reflecting the undercurrent of sadness and stress experienced in a society structured to suppress growth and devalue existence.