Nice to meet you!

My name is Endiya. I am a multidisciplinary artist, ecologist, educator, and memory worker based in Chicago and Los Angeles. The work you will find here ranges widely— from short films to K-12 social studies curriculum and participatory archiving events— all of it is united by a fascination with what it means to be human— past, present and future. 

 

I believe that a critical, curious, and imaginative stewardship of memory can teach us how to honor all of the human and nonhuman life that surrounds us— from the remembering of rivers to the rings of trees, from the wrinkles around the eyes to the folds of the hands. I believe in memory work that lives far beyond the sterile walls of institutional archives— memory that breathes, that meditates, that yellows a little around the edges and is creased from good use. Memory that laughs and sighs and grasps at the roots. 

 

Ultimately my practice is dedicated to the African-centered principle of Sankofa— reaching back in recognition of these histories as we continue to re-member the unique space in time we occupy and the collective responsibilities therein.