How Can I Build Generational Wealth With All These Bills? 2019 Collected bills, paper, ink, charcoal, cotton on wood panel Dimensions Variable (on 16 x 16 in wood panel)

This artwork is comprised of hand drawings and an amalgamation of bills that I've collected. Inspired by patterns found in African textiles in West Africa and patterns found in freedom quilts of African-Americans during the Underground Railroad. This work is especially relevant in today’s culture with an emphasis on obtaining higher education through universities operating as businesses with student loans leading America’s debt, credit cards being overvalued with high interest rates and fast fashion culture driving more people to shop and discard more clothes. Historically textiles have been used as currency, but in today’s capitalistic society, textiles are devalued and labor often exploited to make the cheapest textiles globally.

 

How Can I Build Generational Wealth With All These Bills? 2019 (DETAIL)

Declaration of Independence Updated: Blood Oath, 2020 Iron gall ink, marker, pencil on paper 22x17 in

In this artwork it states: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all people are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among The People, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. These truths acknowledge the following:

Black Lives Matter

No Justice No Peace

Power To The People

From the Artist, About this artwork: These words are from the Declaration of Independence’s preamble. I wouldn’t normally leave this note to explain my art but tensions are high & people don’t always read on social ***the only words I changed from the preamble are the words men to people & The People. This artwork features handmade ink made from oak galls & iron known as iron gall ink, which is the same ink that the Declaration of Independence was written in. Black Lives Matter, No Justice No Peace, & Power to the People are handwritten in red ink. We need to shout it until this is reflected in US Society. The Declaration of Independence states the principles on which our government, and our identity as Americans, are based according to archives.gov

Declaration of Independence Updated: Blood Oath, 2020 (detail)

Kesiena Onosigho is a textile and mixed-media artist based in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Through investigations of materials and patterns, Kesiena intuitively explores textiles and engages in a range of media to create atmospheric abstractions. By using foraged items, and the interplay of poetic titles, she challenges an audience to discover significance in unconventional places and promotes beauty in the already existing. She engages in themes of social and environmental justice, and identity through thought-provoking mixed-media collages and installations, inspired by her personal experiences, continual curiosity and the undeniable beauty of African textiles.

Kesiena’s studio practice includes traditional craft techniques like knitting, natural dyeing, and patch-working with recycled materials.  Cultivating connection through hosting natural dye explorations in Brooklyn, Onosigho participates in community engagement where fellow creatives explore how overlooked items, like foraged food scraps, create beauty and inspire in environmentally meaningful ways.

Using her processed-based artistic practice as a foundation, Onosigho created KESIENA STUDIO, a creative agency, which takes an inventive approach to fiber and art by pushing boundaries of the textile experience. Through working at the intersection of art, design, craft & fashion, KESIENA STUDIO looks to consult to create more meaningful and enduring experiences within textile innovation. STUDIO values collaboration especially with sustainable initiatives & special projects concerning materials. STUDIO specializes in concept & ideation, R&D, design development, creation of stitches, swatches, and knitted products in various fields including, but not limited to art, fashion and industrial design. See SERVICES for more info. TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HER WORK, VISIT www.kesiena.com/