Project Overview
From Ego To Essence is a ten-year visual archive (2018-2028) documenting the political and cultural turbulence of our era and the ways individuals and societies navigate trauma, division and renewal.
In 2018 I created 52 dated collages, one for each week of the year, using newspaper headlines to capture what was happening in America and the world. Over time the project expanded beyond politics to explore a deeper question; how do we move from reaction and rage toward wholeness and hope?
This archive is not only a personal journey but a collective one. An attempt to preserve, interpret and reflect on a decade that will define our history.
Project Arc Timeline (2018-2028)
2018-2020:The Ego Years (Upheaval)
2018- 52 completed weekly collages. 2019-2020- Larger canvases containing month-long spans of headlines, expanding the scope and scale of the archive.
2021-2024: The Awakening Years (The Shift, No Headlines)
Works in development explore the inner and outer consequences of constant noise and division revealing the weight left in their wake and the decision to choose peace over rage. This phase reflects a shift from reaction to awareness, and the decision to look within rather than assign blame.
2025-2028: The Return of Ego Years (Dual Worlds)
With Trump’s re-election in 2024, the atmosphere of division intensifies once again, louder and more amplified. To complete the archive, I return to documenting the headlines, but the work itself had to evolve. What was once purely reactive now holds both tension and awareness. The work reflects that duality: the pull of ego and the choice of how we move through it.
Exhibition Timeline
The first public exhibition of From Ego to Essence is planned for late 2026, aligned with the U.S. midterm elections.
The full body of work will culminate in a final exhibition in 2028, coinciding with the presidential election, bringing together the complete archive created across the decade.
The exhibitions are designed to unfold alongside the political timeline they document.