is inspired by Joan Morgan’s "When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost”, which challenged rigid binaries of “respectable” Black womanhood. Morgan’s reflections on feminism, pleasure, and complexity pushed me to consider reverence and the sacred function of Black femme self-expression.

Word to the Motha reimagines Lil’ Kim’s iconic 1996 Hardcore album promo. In the original, Kim posed in lingerie, legs spread, gaze unbroken—provocative and unforgettable. While hailed by some as sexually liberating, the image still catered to the male gaze and hyper-sexualized and fetishized Black femininity. My painting reframes the pose: between the model’s legs hangs a mirror, forcing viewers to confront their own reflection. In this moment, the body becomes a portal, not a possession—a sacred threshold. As we come to see ourselves in her being, we see her humanity reflected through our own. To gaze upon the womb without reverence is to miss the miracle.