I created this piece in the most vulnerable moments of my career. After facing controversy for my Chadwick Boseman tribute piece, I found myself in a very confusing time for my creativity. I had spent years building my audience by setting the example of what an artist CAN be & it felt like everything I had built was crashing around me. I spent a month locked away in my home, avoided most contact outside of my immediate family, I even left Twitter. Creating became a traumatic experience, I saw how art can impact its viewer & I slowly began to internalize these negative thoughts. I thought I was stuck creatively.

Ego Death was the first piece I made following the controversy. At the time, the piece was significant because it symbolized personal progression. It was about moving on, it was about being watched and it was about accepting your influence. Currently, in Dec. 2021, the piece has a completely new meaning for me. I think that is the beauty of this piece, there are enough elements for the piece to evolve with the viewer. For instance, there are 3 immediate roles for the viewer to assume, the first is the woman at the center of the piece observing the skull, the second is the blue watcher observing the woman & the third is the man sitting on a city building observing the entire scene.

Outside of the meaning directly inside of the work, this piece & moment have become increasingly significant to me. I am not shy about it, to this point, being auctioned by Christie's is easily one of the proudest moments of my career. The fact that the piece being auctioned is the piece I created at my lowest point is teaching me to always have faith in my creativity as well as understand that moments like those are opportunities to be great. How you respond is ultimately what matters.

I appreciate nftnow, Christie's & Opensea for believing in my work. I appreciate everyone who has taken the time to observe Ego Death.