Muzae Sesay
I’m interested in analyzing the fragmentation and validity of
memory through the recollection of home and community. I find
investigating domestic environments to be like looking at the
root to question the flower.
Certain of my paintings depict the struggle of trying to accurately
remember a space from the past. Small aspects or vignettes
shift and blend together without a clear picture of the space
as a whole. Some play with manipulating memory through a
process of implanting a fake consciousness of a fake space—
remembering how it felt to be somewhere that physically exists
nowhere. Others come from a practice of empathy—imagining
someone else’s memory and what that might feel like. All
approaches demonstrate a critical lens on memory: how fluid
and individualistic ours can be, and yet how completely it shapes
the world we collectively live in.
Challenging the acute recollection of facts, I focus on
atmosphere, color, and rhythm to reflect how we feel about
specific memories. In painting, as in thought, the emotional
takeaway ends up surpassing the clarity of direct representation.