Despite the relentless cycle of global conflicts, colonization, erasure, and human rights violations, questions linger on our minds: who are we making art for, why does art matter when unconscionable suffering occurs, and how can we challenge and dismantle hegemonic and oppressive systems through the act of making? 

Though art alone cannot fully resolve these issues, it possesses the power to ignite hearts, spark discourse, and amplify visibility and compassion.

Drawing from Michel Serres' notion of incandescence, art emphasizes the interconnectedness of humans and nature, underscoring a shared, unfolding history. The act of making can be a means of reclaiming and honoring ancestry, culture, and identity. Across divergent practices ranging from sculpture to painting and performance, a luminous resistance emerges. This incandescence positions our work against dominant oppressive narratives, centering decolonization in the process.

We are a diverse cohort of artists with heritage from Mexico, Nigeria, Iran, the Philippines, and beyond, and have found cohesion, commonality, and unity regardless of our disparate backgrounds. As we create, we grapple with relentless exploitation, genocide, and struggles, like those unfolding across Palestine, Sudan, Congo, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. We continue to resist, protest, rally, and to cry out. We seek to understand how histories are lost, diasporas form, and how we empathetically mourn. From within us, this incandescent glow generates our art making, healing, and resistance.