Asha Elana Casey - "Traces Of My Spirit"

TRACES OF MY SPIRIT ASHA ELANA CASEY

Edited by Alani Nelson

Traces of My Spirit Asha Elana Casey

Quote from, Tell My Horse Life in Haiti and Jamaica by Zora Neale Hurston 5 Forward: Black Lives Are Sacred

by Angela N Carroll 8 Excerpt from Rock my soul: Black People and Self-Esteem by bell hooks 10 Folklore for a New World

by Alani Nelson 12 My Path to Ifa Lucumi

by Makala Scurlock 16 Asha Elana Casey In Coversation 19 Artist Bio 26 Gallery Statement 27 Director’s Statement 29 Index 30

“Gods always behave like the

people who

them.”

- Zora Neale Hurston

Forward: Black Lives Are Sacred Angela N. Carroll

For the last five years, interdisciplinary artist Asha Elena Casey has worked to cultivate an impressive aesthetic that visualizes the divinity of Black lives and professes the power of African Traditional Religions (ATRs). I first viewed early iterations of this exploration in 2017 at Casey’s sophomore solo exhibition, When Watching God, curated by Andy Johnson, Director of Gallery 102 at The Corcoran School of the Arts & Design at George Washington University. What impressed me most about the series was how Casey played with texture, overlaying predominantly black and white abstract forms with figurative silhouettes to pronounce the ethereality of spiritual presence.

The works from that era were a continuation of a collection that she had exhibited earlier that year entitled Spirit Rises at the Congress Heights Arts and Culture Center. Those pieces utilized oil, mixed media, and gold leaf to visualize Black women as goddesses. This body of work established the mark-making that has come to define Casey’s aesthetic. She strategically layered dense clusters of oil paint iterated as drips, lines, and symbols across the canvas to create geometric patterns that read like reliefs. As a result, what would have otherwise been a flat 2-dimensional figurative work evolved into a more complex expression. Her incorporation of sculptural processes invokes an exquisite and compelling methodology to represent meta-dimensional, ecstatic, and transcendental states of consciousness.

Her latest series, Traces of My Spirit, exemplifies Casey’s dedication to the evolution of her practice. This body of work employs new processes and materials, including collage, mosaic tile, glitter, rhinestones, and mica flakes. The reflective, shimmering quality of the materials affirms the nuanced kinship that African people across the diaspora have with the spiritual presences, guides, and ancestors that walk with us. Through a review of Casey’s work, we are reminded that Black lives have always been sacred; the miracle of our survival in this realm is our ability to commune with and be renewed by the ancestral energies that live on through us.

Casey takes what she has learned from the previous series' experimental processes and provides vibrant vantages in Traces of My Spirit that encourage our earnest contemplation.

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Creating a cultural context for healthy black self-esteem means that we must restore the religious locations where a spirituality that embraces the lost souls can flourish. Just as the liberation theology of the past offered to African Americans a vision of a counterculture where justice could prevail, where excess and decadence were questioned, contemporary African Americans are in need of a spirituality that calls for renewal and restoration of the soul, a religion that celebrates coming together, reunion.

When we talk about self-esteem, that reunion can take the form of returning to an emphasis on inherent divine glory that can counter the white supremacist thinking that constantly tells black folks we are unworthy.

hooks, bell. (2003). Rock my soul: Black people and self-esteem. Atria Books.

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New Work 24x36 2021

Folklore for a New World Alani Nelson

Traces of My Spirit positions Elana Casey’s work as a record of contemporary folklore. Considering the portrait as the platform to document the interplay between the human and the sacred, Casey renders her community through a divine lens. Weaving together traditional African Cosmology and the oral histories of her subjects a new world is cultivated within these landscapes punctuated by glittering shadows and mirrored horizons. Representing her subjects as their “god selves,” reality and myth converge in this space.

In these works, Casey’s family and friends are reconstituted as something beyond human. Transforming the mortal towards the godliest version of itself. This act has the potential to offer a terrain to nurture alternative identities for a new world. The reconsideration of the self as a deity becomes the catalyst for folklore born of the present. Origin stories and oral histories merge. The community represented in these works become the foundation for a pantheon that is intrinsically contemporary.

This imagining of a new environment overflows with flora and fauna, gilded beings, and glinting textures. The works mirror back fractured reflections of what is while simultaneously presenting that unending aspect of the soul, the omnipotent “god self.” Kevin Quashie suggests that to, “Imagine postpones the logics of address, dominance, and misrecognition—the terms of an antiblack world—that interfere with 12

beholding both black aliveness and a black ethic of relation.” ¹ With this in mind, Traces of My Spirit suspends reality in favor of something almost tangible, almost actualized.

Investigating the gap between the ancestor and the friend, Casey’s work angulates in the transformational space between that which is mortal and the òrìsàs. Closing in on the void that separates the spiritual and the actual, Casey situates the audience in an environment for the contemplation and veneration of self and community. That alchemical force bonding the human body and its defied form can be referred to as Àsẹ. Defined by Roland Abiodun as,

The identification, activation, and utilization of the innate energy, power, and natural laws believed to reside in all animals, plants, hills, rivers, natural phenomena, human beings, and òrìsà…that divine essence in which physics, metaphysics, and art blend to form the energy or life force activating and directing socio-political, religious and artistic processes and experiences.”² ¹ In Black Aliveness, the Poetics of Black Being, Kevin Quashie p. 4 13

Traces of My Spirit works to bring Àsẹ to form. Through her rendering of gods of the present Casey embodies that reconstructive, new world making quality of Àsẹ as it, “imbues sound, space, and matter with energy to restructure existence, transform the physical world and also control it.”³ Envisioning the subjects of these portraits as something after or beyond human life offers us the space to consider a reality where the highest version of self becomes actualized.

The adorned gods of Casey’s new world inhabit this burgeoning mythology that does not hesitate to recognize the godliness in humanity. Considering Casey as the storyteller and record keeper, these works become our contemporary archive, a record synchronized with the ebbs and flows of the black experience.

What could we leave at the altars of the living and the loved?

² Abiodun, Rowland. “Àse: Verbalizing and Visualizing Creative Power through Art.” Journal of Religion in Africa, vol. 24, no. 4, Brill, 1994, pp. 309–22 3 Ibid.

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My Path to Ifa Lucumi Makala Scurlock

I grew up in the Baptist church where the sick were healed by collective prayers of outstretched hands- where people spoke in tongues, prophesied and "caught the spirit". Ushers dressed in white would form a protective circle around the shaking dancer until finally they lay down, spent from the electric energy that had overtaken their body.

In my youth I was taught that being a good Christian meant living in a way to avoid fire and brimstone in the afterlife. Constantly asking for forgiveness left me with the feeling of being wrong not to mention it leaves little room for self-actualization as I am in perpetual fear of making a grave misstep. The same community that entertained miracles and visions dismissed my questions about deja vu’ and spirits.

Though I had made the walk to the altar, confessed my sins and was baptized, in my soul I could feel there was something unaccounted for.

Religious studies classes and distance away from the church allowed me to learn about the ancestors, pouring libation, and ATR’s. I meditated and said “hotep” way too much. I had so much florida water I could’ve started my own botanica. I read books, most notably Flash of the Spirit where I learned about Iwapele (good character) and Eshu.

The best thing to come of this exploration was my simple ancestor altar, a candle and water. Meditating at this altar gave me the same grounded sensation I experienced as a child before the human side of religion damaged my natural connection with divinity and my own Ori (Yoruba name for what we understand as bspiritual head or consciousness). I began to lean more into my dreams where I was visited by very distant relatives and deities. I trusted my gut which led to my first step into the life.

There is something unmatched about being in nature though dancing for me is a close contender. I received my warriors ( one of the first steps of initiation in the Lucumi tradition) on a fall day, outside and there was dancing and music- a protective circle. The altar was the grass beneath my feet. Before my ceremony, My Babalawo warned me “you can’t study this”- meaning the lessons aren’t in a book. They are lived and come from communion and trust of your own spirit and guides.

The reunion with my ancestral traditions allowed me to mend the hurt and disappointment I had from my Christian upbringing. Lucumi is like that. You are guided through a path where you forge or acquire the tools to save, refine and become the best version of yourself. In so doing I realized that the essence of our culture still remains by evidence of what I witnessed as a youth. Now, my questions aren’t dismissed. They are guided and answered by my Ori, the Orishas, my elders and nature.

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Held on January 8, 2022 between Asha Elana Casey and Alani Nelson AN: Thanks for taking the time to answer questions! Your time and insight is so appreciated. I wanted to start by asking how would you describe your approach to portraiture.

EC: When doing a portrait, if I’m painting myself for the orisha series, I do some research on that deity and try to pose in a manner similar to them. If I’m working on the godself body of work, I am choosing friends and family and I am asking them to imagine their godself. What colors do you gravitate towards, what symbology is important to you? And then I use the symbols prevalent in my work to hint at the spiritual. So I use rhinestones as a representation of soul/spirit inspired by a story in Zora Neale Hurston’s Mules and Men. I use mirror, gold, and silver as residue from my gold series and my exploration with my spiritual journey. The colors white, silver, the rhinestones, and glass are symbols that come from the work I’ve done with my own spirit.

I’m really drawn to this idea of kind of co-creating the god self with friends and family, how does that interplay of personal and external symbolism show up in some of the works?

I think we look at Mahari’s piece which is maybe the only godself piece in the show, she has a sequined snake in her work. Which Is really cool because it’s the first time I incorporated animals but I used the snake because it’s prevalent in her work as well And I was also looking at her use of greenery as well. So I felt that by borrowing some of her symbolism it would make the portrait feel the most like her, so then when we look at it again, we can see the use of rhinestones, glass, and glitter which have become signifiers of my work.

How did representing the god self become a part of your work? what sort of external factors led your practice here?

I think it started in undergrad. I am honestly an abstract artist. I just happen to be good at portraits and I felt underrepresented and undervalued during my undergrad experience. I immediately shifted gears from geometric abstract to Byzantine art inspired portraiture because it was important for my self-esteem 19

to see myself as powerful. So my early work speaks directly about the white and black gaze and how my power changes in those environments in the literal scars that came from that experience. After I left that environment, the work changed substantially.

The work became centered on spirituality that wasn’t Christianity, and I wasn’t focused on white or black spaces but gold spaces.

Then the spaces became silver and botanical as I dug deeper in the narratives of the deities I was making work about.

So I ended up taking all of my aesthetics and morphing them into a new one. The geometric abstract from my early work now lives as the mosaic tiles I use in my current work.

So I am using literal scarification of the canvas for the pain inflicted versus symbols of power and the gold dress as a symbol of power within. The backgrounds were white because of the white gaze and the figures also were painted in color because of this quote, “I feel most colored when I am thrown against a sharp white background”, Zora Neale Hurston.

So it was a big shift from being hyper-conscious of whiteness to not centering them in the narrative at all.

Kesi in White Space

That’s an experience I think so many can resonate with. I wonder did that shift toward the spiritual cause the works to function in a new way, as something greater than art or perhaps embody the greatness of art?

So this piece, was one of my early prints from high school. This is at its core what my work looks like.

Geometric Abstract

I do these patterns in my free time and I they are super fun for me, but when I felt like my humanity and my intelligence was on trial I felt that my language needed to shift. The work was larger than my meditative doodles, it became necessary for my work to represent something larger than myself. My work needed to be a signifier of power.

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I understood portraiture as a signifier of power. That was a canon I wanted my work to exist within, subvert, and ultimately stand beside equally as great. So the portrait to me became super important as a power symbol. I knew it was important for the people I love to be immortalized and revered much like found in museums. So the underlying theme and idea in my work is healing, but I found a way to make it less abstract and more literal in how it’s applied in society.

It’s in these ways that I see portraiture and abstraction as radical acts In the black art historical tradition! Are there any artists that you see your work in dialogue with or working in the lineage of?

I’m like a firm believer that artists are just collages of the ancestors that proceeded them. In my case, abstractly I’m pulling from Alma Thomas and Jack Whitten which can be seen in my earlier work more clearly. I’ll post an example You see the influence of Jeff Donaldson in my printmaking work more because I’m pulling from my older aesthetic but the Alma Thomas and Jack Whitten influence is prevalent to me in my use of mosaic tile. It’s a very similar visual language When it comes to painting the face, all I can say is I do my best.

It’s harder to link myself to a portrait artist but I’ve loved the work of Aida Muluneh for as long as I could. I see that influence in my early work as well.

As for my botanical references, I would Eloise Enthroned not be where I am without Aaron Douglas. I look to him for my leaves.

I think those are my main artistic influences. I’m also by and large a collage artist. Which is why I guess I said artists are just collages of their lived experiences and their predecessors.I’ve done collage work with my prints since high school.

I can definitely see you are pulling from rich, diverse sources of inspiration from across the diaspora. How do you see African and African American culture making its way through your work?

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I think for me, African culture stems from the information I’ve gotten from learning about the Ifa tradition and then the African American culture comes from southern folklore and family stories. Things that I gather from reading about Hoodoo and Rootwork but also my family’s upbringing.

That storyteller, griot like quality is very palpable as well as the Ifa tradition.

These forces resonate beautifully on the canvas. When I look at the works included in Traces of the Spirit I feel myself falling into this otherworldly space especially against the backdrop of 2021, I want to be there so badly! How would you describe the world your figures inhabit, what is that reality like and how do the figures maneuver in that world.

I’m honestly still building it. I’m figuring out how the figures, mojo figures, and ancestral figures can live in the realm together. I think of it as a living cosmogram. Each type of figure represents different aspects of the world we live in, but backdrop is kind of like the universal place where they all convene. I haven’t figured out their day to day though. I would imagine that they all hang out together in some aspect though. Like in future series, I’m excited to have figures like Chattam Boy on Horse behind maybe a rendered realistic figure.

I think ultimately the idea is that they are supporting and walking with you.

Asha, Eleggua and Ori

So it would look like ancestors with the god self. Orishas with the god self. I’m honestly still building it. I’m figuring out how the figures, mojo figures, and ancestral figures can live in the realm together. I think of it as a living cosmogram. Each type of figure represents different aspects of the world we live in, but backdrop is kind of like the universal place where they all convene. I haven’t figured out their day to day though. I would imagine that they all hang out together in some aspect though. Like in future series, I’m excited to have figures like Chattam Boy on Horse behind maybe a rendered realistic figure. I think ultimately the idea is that they are supporting and walking with you.

PHYSICAL WORLD

SPIRITUAL WORLD

So it would look like ancestors with the god self.

Orishas with the god self.

My work exists in the line in the middle

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Flower Gold

Asha Elana Casey (b. 1994) was born and raised in Washington, DC. She is a mixed media visual artist living and working in Chevy Chase, Maryland. She earned her BFA from The Corcoran School of Art at George Washington University. Her body of work centers Self Preservation and Godliness unique to African- American culture. Casey has been awarded the Anderson Ranch residency. Her art has also been featured in the film Really Love. Her exhibitions include shows at The George Washington University, The Katzen Arts Center, PG African American Museum, and Band of Vices. She has been featured in a number of publications including East of the River, Brightest Young Things, BmoreArt, Washington City Paper, and the Washington Post.

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Mehari Sequar Gallery is an independent art Gallery located in Washington, D.C. Founded in 2019, the Gallery is dedicated in articulating narratives of the African Diaspora by examining the world through contemporary art.

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Install Shots

With focus on women-identified artists of the diaspora, we champion a range of established, emerging and international artists who explore conceptual approaches and embrace the freedoms of artistic expressions across all mediums.

The Gallery also serves as a hub for artists and art scholars who interrogate the influence of Black art across hemispheres.

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Wishing all of our patrons, contributors and partners a Happy 2022!

As we enter our third year, we at Mehari Sequar Gallery are very excited and honored to have the opportunity to present the works of gifted and talented women identified artists articulating the narrative of the African diaspora. Through exciting solo and group shows, this year’s participating artists will employ various styles and mediums to convey their unique view of the world.

This year’s offerings have been meticulously curated by our staff to not only be visually stimulating, but intellectually challenging, and provoke variation in perspective and lived experiences. These artists work across all mediums (figurative, collage, abstraction, sculptural…) and are at various stages of their careers, including recent Yale MFA graduates, those already in museum collections, and first-time solo exhibitors. We are very excited about this year’s program and hope it will be just as fulfilling for you.

Our staff continues to work diligently to preserve, document, and record the stories of the African and African American lived experiences. We hope to continue to serve and grow the artistic community here in Washington, DC. We thank the artists for sharing their talents, our collaborators for their partnership and above all, our patrons for their continued support and engagement.

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Works Included in Traces of My Spirit Orisha Rowu - Acrylic, Mica Flakes, and Attached Canvas on Wood Pane, 36''x48'' Asha in Egbe's Room - Mosaic Tile, Cut Collaged Print, Adhered Canvas, Rhinestones and Mica Flakes, 10''x10'' Asha & Ori - Acrylic, Mosaic tiles, Mica on Wood Panel, 48''x36'' Mojo Figure # 1 - Digital Print, Pastel, and Acrylic Paint with frame, 9''x12'' Mojo Figure # 2 - Digital Print, Pastel, and Acrylic Paint with frame, 9''x12'' Flowers in Virginia - Acrylic, Glitter Paper Collage on Paper with frame, 18''x24'' Orunmila and Ori - Mosaic Tile, Adhered Canvas, Glitter on Wood Panel, 36''x48'' I ain't picking no tobacco - Collaged Print, Adhered Canvas, Glitter, Oil Pastel and Acrylic Paint on Paper with frame, 18''x24'' Mahari - Acrylic, Mosaic Tile, Rhinestones, Adhered canvas and Wood Panel, 48''x60'' Folks Ain't Ready For Souls Yet - Acrylic Oil Pastel, Mosaic Tiles, Rhinestones on Wood Panel, 36''x48'' Souls Anchored - Acrylic, Mosaic Tiles, Rhinestones on wood panel, 24''x24'' Chattam Girl - Digital Print, Glitter, Oil Pastels and Acrylic Paint with frame, 24''x36'' Chattam Boy on horse - Digital Print, Adhered Canvas, Glitter, and Acrylic Paint with frame, 24''x36'' Is this Ife? #1 - Acrylic, Glitter Paper Collage and Print on Paper with frame, 11''x14'' Is this Ife? #2 - Acrylic, Glitter Paper Collage and Print on Paper with frame, 11''x14'' Untitled - Acrylic, Adhered Canvas, Glitter on Canvas, 48''x36'' 30