You're a native Californian with Ghanaian parents so tell me a little bit about your childhood and family heritage.
As a young child, I was turned on to sciences and fine art by both of my parents. We ate traditional Ghanaian food; seafood was a family favorite. They did a good job of always reminding me where they came from, and where other family members resided. As far as I can remember, I was excited about geography. When I was seven, my father put me on a flight to London on a TWA 747 Jumbo Jet by myself in the care of a TWA chaperone to spend time with my family members from both sides. My Parents were born and raised in Ghana, West Africa, but our family has a heritage in Switzerland and Brazil as well.
What inspired you through your teenage years?
Throughout my teenage years, I had a very active lifestyle playing basketball, hiking, and skateboarding. In the '90s, I was listening to soul, hip-hop, punk, post-punk, classical, and my all-time favorite genre reggae music from Jamaica. I amassed a collection of just over 4,000 LPs, including over 500 seven-inch records and ten-inch singles.
When did you first realize that art, and specifically photography, was going to be your chosen path?
I was twenty years old, and working full-time for a well-known action sports footwear brand, and I would spend my entire paychecks on film, archival storage supplies, and making prints of my early photographic work.
What about your entry into Bard’s College and the MFA in Advanced Photographic Studies course that you completed there?
In 2006, while living and working in NYC, based in Brooklyn, I was given a life-changing opportunity — to apply for an MFA degree without having an undergraduate degree. I applied and was accepted and graduated in 2008 from Bard College with an MFA in Advanced Photographic Studies.