RAPH’S BLOOMING UNIVERSE
personal studio mural | SEABA Residency october 2022 — september 2023
the purpose of this mural was to acknowledge & see myself, my cultural background, my global experiences, past versions & layers of myself that once existed.
created february - march 2023
“we (all versions of raph) created this mural to see our-selves.”
key elements of raph’s blooming universe
+ the center eye represents the 3rd eye/consciousness 👁️
+ the tears represents the sweet healing release of turmoil & hardship 💧
+ the gold surrounding the tears and eye represents the alchemy of turning our hardships into victories 🌟
+ the colors surrounding the eye represents a flower in full bloom. initially it was intended to be seraphim angel wings but flower fits better, lol. we are blooming! 🌺
+ the various patterns surrounding the center flower piece represents the realities we’ve lived (from being a black child, to expressing ourselves through dance & theatre, to living the haitian-catholic first-gen life, to exploring our love for travel through living abroad, to writing inspiring travel pieces for gen z/millennials, to discovering our queerness, and to radically accepting our quirkiness and alt way of living as a blessing and not a curse. 🤲🏾
+ “li le pou nou avance” means “it’s time for us to move forward” in kreyol. shoutout to mom for putting me on to the message 🥺
