Fitra Oil on Canvas Paintings, 2024
First launched in 2024 at Nsenga Knight’s debut museum solo exhibition, Close to Home at Queens Museum, “Fitra” is a foundational concept in Islam referring to the innately good spiritual nature possessed by humankind. In this series of paintings, Knight imbues her concept of “home” in an amber-hued abstraction of sensuously fluid brushwork that is teeming with feelings of warmth and comfort. By situating these works in a domestic setting, the artist addresses home as not only a physical, but also a psychological space.
Fitra Watercolor Series, 2022
In her Fitra series, Nsenga Knight reflects on a foundational Islamic concept regarding the inherent nature of human beings. In contrast to the Christian faith in which her parents were raised, the Islamic faith to which they converted holds no concept of original sin. Rather, Knight grew up learning from her parents that, according to Islamic teachings, all people are born pure and sinless.
This innate, pure nature is known as Fitra—a state of being that is central to humanity’s connection to the Creator and our divine purpose. Through this body of work, Knight explores Fitra as our most authentic, natural, and uncorrupted state of existence.
