Above water I

Above Water- Rational

Exhibition- Transitional Threads

My mixed-media piece, Above Water, presented within the exhibition titled Transitional Threads, is a metaphor for the processes through which a person is shaped and transformed by experience.

A thread begins as a material that can be formed, stretched, and woven. Through processes and experiences, individual threads become fabric, taking on a particular structure and identity. I relate this process to the human being: the brain and the individual begin with innate and genetic characteristics, but experience continually contributes to how a person develops, understands themselves and forms their identity.

The use of various African fabrics in Above Water reflects a shared cultural heritage and a broader sense of my African identity.

The figure in Above Water reflects my own experience of personal struggles where my body consistently held tension. The feeling of being almost statue-like was particularly notable, with every movement requiring great effort.

The translucent, murky acrylic wash, which partially obscures the figure, represents the periods where physical efforts bring forth sweat and raise dust, a necessity for the required transition.

The flowing black enamel drips usher in a sense of freedom. For me, these fluid lines represent the possibility of life becoming flexible again—of movement, change, and the possibility of a different state.

The title Above Water comes from how I've tried to describe how the struggle with mental health is like: a feeling of drowning without getting drowned. To be above water is to reach a point where one can breathe again. It does not necessarily mean that everything is resolved; it represents a transition—a moment in the journey where coping becomes possible.

Through Above Water, Transitional Threads becomes a reflection on how experiences, however difficult, become part of the processes that shape us. The work is ultimately about continuing to move forward and reaching a point where the feeling of drowning does not have to remain permanent.