Artist, filmmaker and activist - Langz Raphael inherits her superpowers from the ancestors.
A beautiful mix of spiritual heritage, customs and culture. Langz's art provides an ancestral home for the lessons and beauty of those before us.
Can you share with us your ambitions?
Creating to me is like breathing, I need it to survive. I always create with the goal in mind that I just want to share a piece of my heart through my art.
Whatever it may be I literally just create because I have a story to share, or my frustrations as an artist. At the end of the day my art is my voice so I create what I feel.
How important is ancestry to you and its influence in your work?
As a Black creative I feel obligated to share my beliefs, traditions and culture through my art. If we don't know where we come from or who we are, then we don't know where we are going.
I believe I am my ancestors wildest dream, I am on earth for a purpose and my art is my gift that I can use as a form of communication. It is very important to me that I carry those who came before me, as well as those who are like me.
What messages do you wish to express?
I have a lot of things to say, but my message is and always will be "if we do not know where we are coming from, than we do not know where we are going." It is very important to be deeply rooted in who you are and also understand your gift and purpose. We are placed on earth for a reason, to love and to unite.
Is there a tradition that has influenced your journey?
I am influenced mostly by the life that my ancestors lived from their values to their traditions to their ancestral powers. I am influenced by what's going on in, and around Africa.
I myself am not so much of a fan of modernization. I like to think of myself as an old soul. I like to think that my work comes from the past, lives in the presence and will forever be a representation of an African.
All images courtesy of Langz Raphael
Instagram: @langz_raphael
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