Designed Consciousness: Days after you go alone, continues the conversation from a preceding series, Designed Consciousness: Go alone. Together, these series tell Cosmicbagel's contemplative stories of "making spaces for oneself" and "navigating the uncertainty of devotion and faith to one’s calling". Days after you go alone imagines a consciousness where one has learned to become more for themselves through the course of their journey.
“A vivid landscape of color and contemplation.”
“It takes a great amount of faith and trust in oneself to be an artist. My art practice, especially in its early ages, was met with brute opposition. Designed Consciousness narrates a mental, attitudinal and spiritual exercise where I operated within a consciousness where all that matters is an honest interpretation and expression of my relationship with existence.” - ComsicBagels (Featured Artist)
“Following the previous series in the Designed Consciousness collection, ‘Go Alone’ where I discussed the concept of having to embody the faith in my burden to create without needing to wait until it made sense to anybody else, 'Days After You Go Alone', expresses the beauty, of having chosen to stay faithful to that calling. The realization that it is possible to be all I need for me to thrive. It is a conversation about coming into power, becoming the friend I needed, the community I felt I lacked and an environment through which my arts will thrive in this world.” - ComsicBagels (Featured Artist)
“Blue and red signifies a burning flame. The red burning consumes, like a wildfire. The blue burning is reminiscent of fires that purify or forge, like the blue flames used to purify glass. These colors express that choosing to walk in faith can often pose very great challenges and that depending on how we process them, they can either be our destruction or our refining. When we're met with fires, we can decide the outcome.” - ComsicBagels (Featured Artist)
“The checkerboard pattern symbolizes conversations. My art pieces are a continuing conversation. Each distinct color of the checkerboard represents certain perspectives that are relevant within the art piece. It is often not a summation of the entire conversation within a given art piece, but a reflection of one or many of the conversations that ensue within that expression.” - ComsicBagels (Featured Artist)
"Itan" translates to "story" or "history" in Yoruba. Yoruba people are one of the largest and most culturally significant ethnic groups in West Africa. Yoruba culture is known for its vibrant and expressive arts, including sculpture, textiles, music, dance, and storytelling. Yoruba art has a strong emphasis on symbolism and spirituality and has influenced the broader African art world. Itan Foundation World isn’t just about displaying art, but also about telling the stories and histories of West African artists, their cultures and their creative journeys. Each artwork is selected for its ability to evoke a sense of storytelling and exploration.