T. Eliott Mansa: Mementos of the Sun
Dikenga (For Vanta) II
2024
ceramics, teddy bears, plastic flowers, crystals,
sea glass, nails, plastic beads, stones. sand, acrylic on wood
36 inches diameter
91.44 cm. diameter
Mementos of the Sun I
2024
ceramics, nails, teddy bears, sea glass, plastic beads, stones,
crystals, seashells, sand, acrylic on wood
36 x 36 inches
91.44 x 91.44 cm.
and the Spirit moved upon the face of the waters (Kalunga)
2024
teddy bears, nails, sand, seashells, mirrors, glass,
ceramics, sea glass, crystals, acrylic on wood
96 x 120 inches
243.8 x 304.8 cm.
Mementos of the Sun II
2024
ceramics, nails, teddy bears, sea glass, plastic beads, stones,
crystals, seashells, sand, acrylic on wood
36 x 36 inches
91.44 x 91.44 cm.
Ubuntu II
2024
teddy bears, plastic flowers, seashells,
stones, sand, acrylic on wood
36 x 24 inches
91.44 x 61 cm.
Crossing the River Jordan II
2024
ceramics, pebbles, railroad spikes,
plastic flowers, acrylic on wood
14 x 11 inches
35.6 x 27.9 cm.
Dark was the Night, Cold was the Ground II
2024
ceramics, teddy bears, nails, seashells,
sand, acrylic on wood
36 x 24 inches
91.44 x 61 cm.
Opening Reception | February 7, 2025
Mementos of the Sun: A Prelude in Shared Purpose
by Sergio Cernuda
Mementos of the Sun by T. Eliott Mansa, emerges as a result of four years of deep reflection and personal exploration. Vis a vis works assembled from everyday materials and found objects—repurposed and transformed—Mansa offers a glimpse into his truth, accordingly conveying a profound narrative of memory, mourning, and resilience while inviting a shared experience of emotion, connection, and solace.
Mansa’s innovative approach to assemblage where unconventional elements are gathered with specific intention, echoes the layered aesthetics of roadside memorials, Southern vernacular sculpture, and West African ritual traditions. Drawing on cross-cultural iconography—navigation charts, ritual artifacts, and ancestral symbols—Mansa expands the language of materiality to honor the endurance and sacrifices of the African diaspora. A testament and visual poetry, Mementos of the Sun brings viewers into a sacred space where materials hold remembrance and history is embedded in every texture. In Mansa’s hands, these assemblages become both an homage to the past and an assertion of presence.
About the Artist
T. Eliott Mansa (b. 1977, Miami, FL) is a multidisciplinary artist creating assemblages, paintings, and sculptures. Mansa’s intention is to trigger the radical imagination of viewers, encouraging them to subvert the status quo and find socio-political agency in their own communities. The artist attended the Yale School of Art (2013) and received his MFA from CUNY Hunter College (2018). He received the Creator Award from Oolite Arts (2019, 2022) and the Miami Foundation (2019), and in 2020 had his debut solo presentation at LnS Gallery titled, For Those Gathered in the Wind, (December 2, 2020 – February 27, 2021) a sobering exhibition centered around themes Black mourning and grief in response to racism and extrajudicial violence. T. Eliott Mansa was awarded residencies include the five-week Home + Away residency through Oolite Arts at Artpace in San Antonio, Texas (March 2021), and a studio at Oolite Arts in Miami Beach, FL (2020 – 2022). Mansa’s work forms part of the Pérez Art Museum, Miami, Miami, FL, and The African American Museum of the Arts, Deland, FL. The artist lives and works in Miami, FL.