Born on the Indian Ocean island of Rodrigues, my artistic journey is rooted in the complex interplay of my cultural heritage and personal experiences as an immigrant. Growing up in the care of my Voodoo witch doctor grandfather and devout Roman Catholic mother, I was immersed in a world of spiritual contrast and deep philosophical inquiry. This sense of duality has shaped not only my identity but also the themes I explore in my art.
After emigrating to London in the 1960s, I became one of the first black Punks, finding my place in a turbulent and often hostile environment. My teenage years were spent pulling discarded objects from skips, transforming them into new forms, while navigating the harsh realities of racism and police scrutiny under the era's stop and search laws. During these early years in London, the city's national art galleries and museums became a refuge for me, exposing me to a diverse range of influences. From African tribal art, both ancient and contemporary, to European fine art masters like Giotto, Bosch, Goya, Rembrandt, and Rubens, I developed an eclectic visual language that blends the symbolic with the visceral.
My work as a fine art photographer and sculptor of recycled objects is driven by my obsession with Time Slice Theory, the Philosophy of Change, and the idea of rearranging reality. I seek to capture moments that extend beyond their immediate context, revealing layers of time, memory, and transformation. In photography, I am inspired by the raw, humanist works of Richard Avedon, Bill Brandt, and Gordon Parks, as well as the unsettling, surreal visions of Joel-Peter Witkins and Hans Bellmer. In sculpture, I breath new life into discarded materials, reshaping the overlooked and forgotten into powerful statements about impermanence, decay, and rebirth.
Living and working in Hastings, East Sussex, my practice continues to evolve as I explore the intersections of time, identity, and reality. I see art as a constant negotiation with the past and the present, with every piece becoming an opportunity to reimagine what is possible. Through my work, I invite viewers to reconsider what they perceive as fixed, to see the beauty in change, and to find meaning in the fragmented and the discarded.