In these works, I am using a mark language and process derived from the ancestors to make my contemporary statement. I have layers of paint and carve into them like cave painters with hashmarks and spirals, thinking about my mother making kolam, saree making, aboriginal work. Often a secondary pattern may appear, but it is a result of the process of chasing the mark and my subconsciousness, not an intent from the beginning- an added bonus for the viewer to explore! Collectively, it becomes like smoke signals from those who came before me moving through me to the descendants, coded humanity, love letters, memories unlocked and yet to be made.

Euphoria and Existential Daydreams, 2023, Oil on Canvas, 40" x 40"

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous (Thank You Ocean Vuong), 2022, Oil on Canvas, 40" x 40"

Checkered Texture No. 2 delves into the exploration of texture and pattern as visual weight and structural elements. Originating from a watercolor composition, bold color areas are replaced with various tabby, or “plain weave” structures—a fundamental weaving pattern. These structures are woven using a TC2 (Thread Controller 2) digital jacquard weaving loom. The repeating checkered pattern reveals subtle and dramatic changes in textural relief. Simultaneously, the interaction between the woven wool and cotton yarn forms the fabric’s structure.

Checkered Texture No 2, 2022, Woven cotton fabric on stretched canvas, 42 x 36 x 1 in (106.68 x 91.44 x 2.54 cm)

During the early hours of New Year’s Day 2021 my father, Ed Manning, passed away from complications of Lewey Body Dementia. Four months prior, my son was born. Time worked in strange ways where the closer I came to being a father, the closer I was to losing mine. 

Joy, depression, hope, captivity, fear, emerging vitality and pending death manically existed all at once. Layers of life were being built and simultaneously taken away. In turn my skin thickened in hopes of self-preservation. Ultimately those layers needed to be excavated to see what was beneath it all, while fully acknowledging those layers will never fully be shed and what was underneath would never fully be accessible again. Perseverance exists in this middle ground. 

Moments when I want to call (All those clouds disappeared), 2021- 2022, Ink, acrylic, ammonite shell, failed drawings, collage, stained glass. 17” x 10” x 5”

This installation is part of a larger body of work titled “The Preservation of Bodies”, where I was exploring the concept of a (non)living archive through a variety of scientific preservation techniques. Most of that work was created in the Molecular Biology lab at the University of Kansas while holding the Lance Williams Art & Science Residency. 


After a rather rigorous research phase studying bacterial communication and pigmentation, my ethical concerns for using living beings in my art practice became too daunting. I, then, pivoted to experimenting with bioplastic materials as a placeholder for (non) living specimen. 

Bioplastics break down, or degrade, similarly to a body. They respond to time and are affected by the conditions of their environment. More importantly, their ephemerality could be controlled. 

Dehydration; 1/27/25, 8/13/25, 2025, agar bioplastic, steel pipe, hardware, resin, Dimensions variable

The series explores spiritual spaces and objects and its connection to the human experience with the use of repetitive objects which serve as points of energy exchange. The work contains motifs designed with twine spun in a spiral shape which symbolizes the Adinkrahene/the Ether, the King of "Adinkra" traditional Ghanaian symbols that stands for authority, leadership, and gateways. The Adinkra symbols are concise language used to convey deep truths of the spiritual realm and life in visual form. Another way the twine in the work is used is being hung towards the ground to symbolize human connections to otherworldly environments and worlds beyond the physical realm. The Fire Talisman & Soul Vessels installation explores themes of renewal, fragility, protection, spirit footprint, energy and the tension between containment and release.  Soul Vessels, made in memory of my mother's ascension, is composed of suspended, organic forms bound in red twine and cascading towards the ground. It is a symbolism of how she (human) is connected to otherworldly environments and realms beyond Earth. This evokes both biological systems and emotional landscape which suggests memories, hearts, wounds, dreams, and seeds in a state of suspension.  

In the BIRTH OF THE NEW SUN, in the spiritual spaces series, the work engages with the cosmic spirit beings in a birth. It is a recreation of the environment (spiritual space) of the birth, of a new horizon, of new possibilities to move from one space of existence to the next. A birth of new energy and of creation.

In the BIRTH OF THE NEW SUN, in the spiritual spaces series, the work engages with the cosmic spirit beings in a birth. It is a recreation of the environment (spiritual space) of the birth, of a new horizon, of new possibilities to move from one space of existence to the next. A birth of new energy and of creation.

The Fire Talisman (ogya) , 2024, acrylic, jute twine on canvas 178” x 35” 


Soul Vessels (Nyameama), 2024, Clay and jute twine, 67 pieces, height variable

My work contains no coded information; the labor, repetition, and ritual involved in making each object are what it carries. Maybe this is legible to viewers; maybe it’s not. Either way, I am trying to communicate nuance without overcomplicating.  My work carries my desire to seduce, hypnotize, and poke at the viewer.  I am often thinking of the debility of bodies, both the body of the natural world and those of humans, and how it feels to inhabit a debilitated body. 

Dollar Store Ecology / 6 Liter Jug, 2024, jellybeans, bubblegum, Tic-Tacs, wood, styrofoam, acrylic, gold leaf, 6-liter water jug, 24”x18”x10”

Untitled Map with Bodily Annotations,2025, relief print, hammered copper, steel wire fencing, aluminum wire, enamel, paper, railroad board, 58 x 58 in

My work focuses on the intimate dynamics of home life. Rhythmic compositions that oscillate between the organic and geometric seek to capture the behavioral maneuvering of shared spaces and confined environments. This tension is negotiated into a visual language that offers a formal consideration on personal interactions, structures, and spatial constraints.

This work is arduously created using hand-cut stencils for each mark, shape, and line. Together, these create graphic layers of gestures and geometries, that give off a sense of being both immediate and frozen in time. This juxtaposition speaks to the familiarity and ultimate comfort of communal space. My practice explores the boundaries between public and private spaces, as well as the continual development, transformation, and evolution of the domestic sphere.

Man Cave, 2025, acrylic and oil on canvas, 36" x 32"

Glass House, 2026, acrylic on canvas, 36" x 32"