In the last four years I have been very interested in studying percussion and the origin of rhythm. For me it has been a parallel process to my studies in visual art and thematically it is a principal influence. In many primary cultures of the world the drum is the catalyst for unifying the public for communal ceremonies. This is especially true in Africa, where quite possibly rhythms as well as our species originated.

For me the essence of rhythmic communication is a representation of our heartbeat in correspondence with our emotions as a response to our environment. The fluctuations of the heart and its infinite range of vibrations from excited to tranquil, are transformed and synchronized through percussion. Like images, these oscillations are something so ancient in our communication that they are transmitted unconsciously. Almost everyone feels moved from one or another type of music, and if we look for the source, we will find that it is derived from percussion.

In this series of paintings, Rhythms of Time, I explore my experience playing and dancing West African rhythms with master percussionist Lamine Thiam from Senegal. I am trying to express the movement, the energy, the balance, and especially the rhythms that keep this tradition vital.