(Photograph by Jayde Gibbons)
“I’ve often found myself pondering the faint traces of my own heritage.”
Artist Statement - Jahbarri Wilson
Driven by an insatiable curiosity to explore the origins, rituals, folklore, mythology, and spirituality of different cultures, I’ve often found myself pondering the faint traces of my own heritage. As a Bermudian, born and raised, I grew up with little knowledge of the island’s history before the arrival of shipwrecked Spaniard, Portuguese, and British colonizers. There was always a lingering question: who were the native Bermudians? Did they even exist, or has their story been lost to time?
My recent time in Peru, a country steeped in rich, traceable indigenous history, brought this question into sharper focus. Listening to Peruvian teachers, hearing their stories, and seeing Incan artifacts firsthand sparked a deep reflection on my own origins. It allowed me to reimagine what might have been—what a native Bermudian civilization could have looked like.
This process reminded me of Retrofuturism, though without the “technological advancements”. Instead, it was an excavation of the mind and spirit, an exploration of a potentially erased past. I began to envision artifacts—ritual wear, pottery, divine figures, and instruments—that could have been uncovered from Bermuda's sands and reefs, relics of a forgotten civilization.
I also delved into the idea of ceremonial and ritualistic poses, imagining how they might have been expressed in the context of my island’s lost traditions. This journey has sparked a creative exploration of an alternate past, one where the native Bermudian culture thrives through the artifacts and symbols I now strive to bring to life.
(Photograph by Shanny Sunny Photography)
“I knew that I wanted to focus on the things that simply made me, me. My light, my darkness, my strong desire to flow rather than force…”
Artist Statement - The Healer
Exploration of self was something that I was analyzing before arriving in Peru. For the first 3 weeks of my stay in San Roque de Cumbaza, my dreams were extremely vivid. I realized it’s as a result of nothing clouding my headspace, due to the abundance of nature and simple means of living. This realization played an important part in my practice. My “Espiritu de la Selva”, or Jungle Spirits were born from these vivid dreams. They are all versions of myself that are guiding and protecting all life in the Jungle.
I never felt like I had to over complicate anything, because my Jungle Spirits graciously illuminated the path of deeper self discovery. I knew that I wanted to focus on the things that simply made me, me. My light, my darkness, my strong desire to flow rather than force…these things and more became as primal as breathing. All of these factors became the skeleton for the car, and the challenges I encountered served as the fuel.
Being challenged allowed me to re-examine my beliefs and practice. This fuel allowed me to truly recognize my why - my best friend, my inner child Lil KK. She was the ultimate artist at work out in the Amazonian Jungle. When she wanted to be playful, we did that. An example was closing my eyes and open heartedly letting my intuition drive my hand as I imagined different versions myself. This quickly became a series that I enjoyed every moment diving into. Of course, I incorporated the different practices that I was fortunate enough to learn from the local teachers, such as clay sourcing, mixing, and firing.
While playing with the clay, I felt a very deep connection to ‘Patchamama’, the Earth. Lil KK, already identifying as an Avatar, knew this was an opportunity to explore my elemental bending. Dancing bear foot on the clay was an experience I could never forget. After having freshly mixed clay sourced directly from the belly of the Earth, I quickly began creating multiple versions of myself as an Earth born being. These beings needed a bit of Water to mold the clay from the Earth. Air was needed to harden them, and Fire was used in the grand finale to immortalize them. What a healing experience that was!
To summarize, each intention that I had for my practice greatly helped me to heal and grow deeper roots into my sense of self. For that, my heart is full of gratitude for the Amazonian Jungle. I was able to recognize that I was doing Divine Excavation the entire time.