Dialogue: Invisible Forces

This paper interrogates the contemporary existential quandary of African identity, a crisis indelibly shaped by the lingering spectres of colonialism. Utilising a practice-based research methodology supported by curatorial strategies and postcolonial theory, the study excavates the pervasive stereotypes, epistemic violence, and systemic marginalisation that have historically and persistently defined African subjectivities. Employing an interdisciplinary arsenal of visual strategies, painting, collage, and photomontage, the research culminates in a series of conventional yet enigmatic portraiture, each suffused with ornate textile motifs drawn from deeply symbolic iconographies. These works, echoing the stylised formalism of medieval representational traditions, seek to deconstruct the mythologised archetypes imposed upon African bodies, instead fostering an aesthetic dialogue that reveals the irreducible complexities of human ontology. Beyond mere representation, this visual inquiry illuminates the imperceptible yet tectonic shifts within our cultural topography nuances often eclipsed by the myopia of collective consciousness. By rendering the invisible visible, the study aspires to disrupt hegemonic narratives, inviting a profound renegotiation of what it means to be, to belong, and to resist within the contested terrain of African identity.