Afro-Caribbean artist - Nsenga Knight

The Power of Returning Home: Art, Memory, and Belonging

Three brown-skin hijabi women at a dining room table eating Caribbean food. The dining room table is in front of a wall that is decorated with wallpaper that it topaz and has blue and pink lotus flowers and several photos and artworks featuring Black Muslims from the United States, Sudan and Egypt, including Malcolm X and Lynn Hope in turbans.

Two years ago, I returned from my first trip to Guyana — my mother’s homeland. Nearly a year later, I began creating Metem, a film that I knew would be about more than documenting my family’s journey back. In fact, you never actually see Guyana as a place in the film. Instead, Metem unfolds through memory, food, andContinue reading “The Power of Returning Home: Art, Memory, and Belonging”

Juneteenth Now: Art, Intifada and the Pulse of Black Liberation

Explore the global legacy of Black liberation—from Juneteenth to Emancipation Day in Guyana—through art, food, memory, and ancestral resistance.

Alhamdullilah for a Great Year

Circular Black and white oil paint text on vegetable parchment paper. by Nsenga Knight, inspired by the sacred pilgrimage rituals of Hajj, evoking resilience and collective movement toward justice

Even in the midst of all the challenges we are facing collectively, I hope you are full of excitement for the new year. The thing that keeps people going even in the most difficult times (like the genocide we are witnessing in Palestine) is a certain hope for the future – even if that’s onlyContinue reading “Alhamdullilah for a Great Year”

Honoring Indigenous People Day!

Today we come together to celebrate and commemorate the rich cultures and histories of the Indigenous American Peoples. My practice is hugely influenced by culture and history, and I’ve emphasized time and time again the necessity of connecting to them. This doesn’t just stop at our individual communities. Communities come together to shape society, andContinue reading “Honoring Indigenous People Day!”

Hello From Guyana!

I’m currently visiting Guyana with my family: my mom, 3 out of my five sisters, aunt Diane, my son Muruwah and my daughter Sajda. My mother and aunt Diane are Guyanese, and this is my mom’s first time returning to her home country since she was 12 years old. I’ve been balancing participating in the MuslimsContinue reading “Hello From Guyana!”

Traveling To Guyana With My Mother

It’s been a while since I wrote a post on this blog. I hope you missed reading it as much as I have missed posting on here. I’m always happy to stay connected with you and I pray we continue to add value to one other and our communities. Last week was so hectic and wentContinue reading “Traveling To Guyana With My Mother”

HOT ARTIST SUMMER: Social Practice, Lunches, and Being Present

I’ve been enjoying spending more and more time outside as the warmer summer weather rolled in. Don’t get me wrong, I love producing works in my studio, and during my In Situ Fellowship and Artist Residency at Queens Museum, I have spent so much time in the archives of the museum. I used to goContinue reading “HOT ARTIST SUMMER: Social Practice, Lunches, and Being Present”