The Initiate

Out of a densely dotted shimmering surface inspired by both African beadwork and Aboriginal realtime paintings, a grid of hands and birds moves out into the viewer’s space, greeting the initiate as if at a threshold. The birds are oxpeckers, famous for their symbiotic relationship with rhinos, and are thus emblematic of reciprocally beneficial affiliation. Balanced on the larger animal’s back and serving as a natural alert system, oxpeckers also signify how to ‘ride through’ life by using one’s ‘voice’ for communal good.