Artist Statement
Tags: 3D Art, 3D Printing, Afrofuturism, AR
Missing Black Techno-fossils is an Afrofuturistic project consists of augmented reality, digital 3d art, and 3d printing, to address Tania Inniss’ notion that “the absence of Black representation in art” is erasure. The project looks at monuments as Afrofuturistic technofossils along with being examples of sankofanology, meaning they are human-made preservations connecting the past, present, and future through its existence very much like the Sphinx of ancient Egypt, and the bronze Edo Oba monuments of ancient Benin. The project brings attention to the erasure of Black stories in the Canadian landscape, especially with Toronto being one of the only major cities in the world without any monuments of Black people. Along with Montreal, although being the residence of the first documented free Africans in North America in the 16th century, it contains no monuments of that history. Through speculation, the project explores how the absence and lack of representation give space for a lack of validation, valuing, and connection for black people with themselves and their memory or data for the future. While also, this erasure causes a disconnect for non-black folks to see them as being contributors to society.
- Quentin VerCetty is an award-winning international multidisciplinary visual storyteller, arts educator, artivist, and an ever-growing interstellar plant. His scholarly work explores Afrofuturism as a teaching tool and has coined the terms Sankofanology and Rastafuturism. Artistically his work explores the social implications of monuments as technofossils for future and addresses the lack thereof in the Canadian landscape. As an artivist, VerCetty is one of the co-founding leaders of the Black Speculative Arts Movement, a global platform that advocates for artists who push the imagination of representation. VerCetty is the co-editor of the first Canadian Afrofuturism art anthology, Cosmic Underground Northside: An Incantation of Black Canadian Speculative Discourse and Innerstandings, which highlights works from over 100 Black Canadian artists. Through his work, he hopes to engage minds and inspire hearts to help to make the world a better place not only for today but for many tomorrows to come. vercetty.com