This series was created as a tribute to traditional West African spirituality. It speaks to personal experiences and dreams I’ve had as well as familial stories of my ancestors. The work seeks to create an introspective, meditative feeling in the viewer. These pieces serve as a reminder of mankind’s sacred connection with the land, water and cosmos across time.

1. “Coiling” intro video 2. ”MAMA WATA” digital illustration, 2021 3. “ELESIN” digital illustration, 2021 4. "Shango’s axe” digital illustration, 2021 5. "Tides” outro video Collaborators: Eirik Bratli (‘Coiling’ & ‘Tides’) Noah Lawrence Holder (‘MAMA WATA’, ‘ELESIN’, 'Shango’s axe’)

Connor Rice (CRICE) is a Minneapolis College of Art and Design alumni living in Southside Minneapolis. He gains his inspiration from Hip-Hop and uses art to document the issues and motifs of pan-Africanist realities. He uses these themes as a lens to view his thoughts and experiences with race, class, and “the American dream.” Authenticity is the driving force in his art.

Currently, his focus is on painting and screen-printing, and the interplay between those mediums. He has also been experimenting with wheat paste-ups, mural painting, and other forms of public art.

By employing ancient symbols and blending them with a modern sensibility, his art seeks to distort our preconceived notions of human history. He uses bold iconography to translate complex themes with an aesthetic that is heavily influenced by street art using ancient motifs and propaganda. His work seeks to comment on the exploitation of the Black identity and to reflect on personal experiences within a euro-centric society. Taking visual inspiration from hieroglyphs and graffiti, he chronicles the issues and stories of Black Diaspora realities across time and space.