“SORRY I MISSED YOUR CALL I WAS TRYING TO KILL MYSELF“

Suicide Awareness Month Mental Health Exhibition, Chelsea NY

“Sorry I Missed Your Call I Was Trying to Kill Myself” explores how Black women often navigate mental health struggles in silence. Set against a pleasant, playful backdrop, the work represents the exterior Black women are expected to present in a world that rarely makes space for their softness. Beneath the colorful, digestible surface, the poems reveal deeper truths, speaking to depression, anxiety, racism, and the growing pains of existing as a Black woman in predominantly white spaces.

In a culture that teaches Black women to always be strong, to hold everything together, and to suffer quietly, this exhibition poses the question: what does it look like to set that weight down and to choose ourselves, unapologetically and aloud?

Although born from the artist’s own experience as a Black woman, this work speaks to those who have lived with depression, anxiety, or isolation, and creates a space for all who have, are, or may one day feel alone.

The installation includes 6 parts, merging poetry, film, digital media, music and photography to highlight various stages of the artist’s journey, dealing with themes of depression, anxiety, imposter syndrome, and microaggression, grounded by a central mural poem for the viewer titled, “I hope this message finds you unwell“. Visitors are invited to work their way around the room from various angles to see how the story shifts based on where they begin.