Collaborations

One of the most fulfilling things about being an artist that is already somewhat experimental is the kind of collaborations that I am able to attract and bring into fruition. Here are recent partnerships that I have enjoyed and grown greatly from.

This piece is inspired by the late Emma Amos and her print, ‘Twined Flowers’. Ms. Amos, who passed away in May of 2020, was an Atlanta native who, throughout her career as an artist, was often excluded from mainstream art scenes because of either her gender, race, or both.

She experienced the external world as an African American woman while her lineage was also Native American and European.

‘Twined Flowers’, the painting which inspired the piece, is an outlier from much of Ms. Amos’ work, garnered an even deeper connection.

This collaboration is a celebration of the many facets of who these three artists are.

In a world where the Black woman is often carrying much of the burden without her voice being heard, this piece attempts to illustrate the shift, where two women, despite their differences, are given equal representation and are intertwined without losing their uniqueness.

Credits:

Aerial Dancers/Choreographers: Fareedah (Free) Aleem, Nicole (Nic) Mermans oppositetwins.com

Cellist/Songwriter: Okorie (OkCello) Johnson okcello.com

Video Editing & Director: Kiki Ely atlatakeova.com

Makeup / Styling: Sakinah LeStage atlatakeova.com

Directors of Photography: Kiki Ely & Fahim El youtu.be/Fe-yxewma30

Mixed and Mastered: Julian Tillery juliantillery.com

Originally created for the Dead Artist Lounge Virtual Edition by Nicolette Emanuelle and funded by the Fulton County Arts Council

6/24/20: I wanted to be part of something artistically that marked this moment in time, that marked this anger and frustration, that acknowledged the loss of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, and countless others. Something that required more of me than making a post. Something that was honest and harnessed the power of my artistic expression. I was blessed and honored to be able to co-create this piece with Jon Goode and Fahamu Pecou which attempted to do all of this. We lift our voices and art to bear witness to this painful, but hopefully transformative moment in all of our lives.

Written and Performed by: Jon Goode, Okorie Johnson, Fahamu Pecou
Directed by: Marina Skye
Art Direction: Fahamu Pecou, Marina Skye
Set Design: Marina Skye (@setbyskye)
Lighting Design: Victor “Massive” Bland
Livestream/Videography: Benjamin “Teknology” Cameron (@djteknology)
Filmed at: Classic Film Studios