Heavy Is The Head That Carries The Crown

The piece depicts a tragic event in history known as the Igbo Landing. The image of children with their hands tied together and drowning in the ocean evokes a sense of helplessness and despair. The fact that these children are tied with thick ropes also implies how forcibly they were taken from their homes and families.

The ascending souls of the children suggest a sense of release and liberation, which symbolizes the idea of these children being lifted up to a better place, beyond the physical realm.

The piece conveys a powerful message about the atrocities that have been inflicted on black people throughout history. It also speaks to the resilience and perseverance of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable suffering and oppression.

The piece a visual tribute to Yasuke but also an exploration of the complex relationships between cultures and the transformative power of acceptance and recognition.

Yasuke was a black warrior who reached the rank of samurai under the rule of Oda Nobunaga – a powerful 16th Century Japanese feudal lord who was the first of the three unifiers of Japan.

When Nobunaga bestowed the rank of samurai on Yasuke the idea of a non-Japanese samurai was something unheard of.

As the first foreign-born samurai, Yasuke fought important battles alongside Oda Nobunaga.