"If someone is in harmony with the elements around him, he will not be harmed by them."

—Confucius, Lieh-Tzu: A Taoist Guide to Practical Living

Throughout my life, I’ve sought to harmonize with my surroundings as a form of self-protection. I found that embodiment is one way of achieving this harmony. In this first chapter of Inner Worlds, I visualize how grief looks, sounds, and moves through me. Grief was the natural starting point because it set me on this path of harmonization after losing my mother at age nine. Since then, grief has been a constant backdrop in my heart and mind.”…

Read the full artist statement below.

Chapter 1

Notes on Grief

When someone or something you love leaves you, you must love that something or someone deeply to fill their absence with grief.

And even though this thing we call grief is truly a painful experience of a love seemingly lost…

Maybe as time passes, it transforms into an expression of a love remembered, found, strengthened and cherished forever.

Sounds for Grief
Scents & Remedies for Grief

  • Frankincense

  • Myrrh

  • Bergamot

  • Bleeding Heart (flower essence)

  • Star of Bethlehem (flower essence)

  • Rose

  • Cypress

  • Ylang Ylang

‘A Goddess of Grief’ Air-dry clay, metal, tempera paint, essential oils, crystals, wood

Full Artist Statement

"If someone is in harmony with the elements around him, he will not be harmed by them."
—Confucius, Lieh-Tzu: A Taoist Guide to Practical Living

The piece on view, Inner Worlds: Notes on Grief, is the first chapter in a series exploring grief and other complex emotions. As someone who has always been introspective, I’ve found solace in my inner world, especially when navigating difficult emotions in unfamiliar and changing environments.

Throughout my life, I’ve sought to harmonize with my surroundings as a form of self-protection. I found that embodiment is one way of achieving this harmony. In this first chapter of Inner Worlds, I visualize how grief looks, sounds, and moves through me. Grief was the natural starting point because it set me on this path of harmonization after losing my mother at age nine. Since then, grief has been a constant backdrop in my heart and mind.

Given its profound significance—not just to me, but to all who have and will experience it—grief cannot be fully explored in a single piece. This work marks the beginning of many explorations. I invite the viewer into my headspace to witness my interpretation of grief, expressed through visuals, sound, and sculpture, inspired by the spiritual realm and derived from traditional Nigerian sculptural artistry. By sharing this experience, I hope we can harmonize with grief and, perhaps, begin to heal through it together.