Part 1 of a docupoem.
Healing is found in declaration of space.
Intimate ritual of relaxation between friends… unbothered.
Bride of Woman is an ode to the philosophy of “Womanism” coined by world renown writer, Alice Walker. Mikai employs salt printing as her primary means to create an installation that critiques the classism and racism inherent in 1st & 2nd wave Feminism and contemporary society. The photo triptych speaks to the three traumas that the black female body experiences; Misappropriation, Partialism, and Commodification.
Bride of Woman is a ceremony for healing and welcoming of all women who wish to walk forward together as one.
Salt Print
16x24 in
30x14 in
16x24 in
A ten-year-old girl is told by her grandmother to grab a switch from the tree on the front lawn. Walking towards the tree, the child forgets the tears streaming down her face and the unstableness of her legs. For a while, she stares at the tree halted by its charm and elegance. However, with a gust of cold wind, she remembers its purpose. Snatching the ugliest branch, she picks two flowers off of it, then walks inside.
Grab Me a Switch is a family tree that comments on the inherent link between the effects of slavery/racism on Black families and the maintenance of white American societal structures.
Through imperfect sewing techniques, ripped pieces of cloth, family photos, and symbols of beauty and oppression; Mikai archives the history of her family lineage.
Cyanotype on Raw Cotton, Stuffed with Raw Cotton
4 x 3 ft.
The RareHealthCo. is a fictional storefront where buyers can purchase air, water, and nutrients/food with a barcode ingrained onto their arm. The RareHealthCo. exists as part of a fictional universe in 2080 at a PSE Facility, otherwise known as the Private Sector Elite. Due to the tragedy of climate change that occurred in 2030, visitors of the PSE Facility can purchase air, water, and food from a time in the past where these essential ingredients for life were of better quality.
If buyers would like to consume these products, they must scan their barcode. Dependent on how far into the past the essential ingredient is that they would like, they must dedicate a specific amount of time of their life to the PSE Facility for reasons unknown.
This project comments on climate change, disaster capitalism, classism, surveillance, and the American prison industrial complex.
Remembering the Commons is a fictional museum exhibit that exists as a part of a fictional universe in 2080 at a PSE Facility, otherwise known as the Private Sector Elite. Due to the tragedy of climate change that occurred in 2030, visitors of the PSE facility can view past representations of the natural world.
This exhibit includes the “commons” or rather the resources of the past society that were undervalued, highly accessible, and not owned privately.
Black Boy Fly is a celebration of Black men/boys and their inherent beauty.
This series of photographs serves as a vessel for the deliverance of empowerment to the Black man- hoping to bring him peace, solace, and strength.
Simple Nostalgia.
After spending a month in Ireland studying ecology in the Burren region, Mikai explores the mysticism, uniqueness, and diversity of the organisms/plants that live here.
This series depicts the microcosm of ecological systems that exemplify the effects of human involvement in the environment long - term.