Our Ecology, Shifting Our Gaze Inward

“Our bodies: A temple; A vessel; A vehicle; Ephemeral; Resilient…”

A mixed media artist, Bevelyn Afor Ukah hopes to inspire others to find their inner creative spirit. And while relatively new to her visual art practice (having begun in February 2020), she finally feels at home in this lifelong commitment to craftsmanship and exploring art as activism.

The artist describes her vision this way:

“However we choose to describe our bodies, there is a constant—we are here together on this magical planet. This exhibit is a journey to find myself present in my own body with all of the complex stories floating around about who is worthy, who is beautiful, who is valuable, and who is not. This body of work has helped me to ground in the fact that I am a profound miracle, as we all are.”

She notes, “Fat and black phobia continue to stew in our society, while black women’s bodies are constantly berated and violated by a dominant, yet elusive gaze.” That gaze she describes as exploitative in nature, pointing out that it can feel like a betrayal to internalize these stories.

“I prompted myself to literally look into the mirror to fight through all of the negative stories that were floating around in my head. What helped was acknowledging the countless people, thoughts, beliefs and actions that had to exist for me to experience a breath of liberation, which is my creative practice. I have been particularly inspired by stories and parables from my African American and Nigerian ancestry and by Black women who have blazed beautiful pathways of expression, while reminding me that I do not need permission to be who I am.”

Born and reared in Atlanta, Georgia in a multicultural Black, Nigerian-American family, a huge part of her life’s work is exploring how humans can make immense connections across cultures and perspectives. Her art reflects a collaboration of perspectives on race, sexuality, and body image and can inspire inquiry on how these identity markers connect us to an ecological responsibility to healing and reimagining.

“We are all stardust,” she says, “and each of us has an immense power to make positive changes within and all around us.” Her belief in our cosmic connections shows up in most of her work.

The artist notes that she has been inspired by reflections on the life of Saartjie Baartmant.

“Though little is written about who she was (as opposed to the trauma she experienced), I honor her for the lessons she has taught me through these reflections.

“My goal in this exhibit is to practice flipping violent narratives and acknowledging the magic that lives within our ecological selves. In my belief, with a bit of collaboration with our ancestors, we have everything that we need to create our own liberation. With that, we require healing, we require rest, we require acknowledgement and importantly, we require love.”

Bevelyn has worked for years in collaboration with communities across NC, co-creating learning spaces to advocate for food and environmental justice. Over that time, she says, “My most poignant lessons have come from listening and sharing stories of loss, resilience, contradiction and triumph in community. This work of learning in community is my greatest love, and art, I have found, is learning’s most powerful expression. I hope this exhibit brings you joy, makes you feel a bit of playfulness and inspires you to look in the mirror to witness the miracle that is you.”

A reception takes place on Saturday, October 22, 2022 at 7 p.m. followed by an Artist Talk at 8 p.m. Pink Dog Gallery, 348 Depot St., in Asheville’s River Arts District.