Biography
Improvisational Movement Artist, Poet, aspiring Craftsman, and Writer, Afé Abeni, is a Class of 2020 graduate of the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts in Kingston, Jamaica. On the road to having completed his BFA in Performance and Choreography, he has seen the benefits of participating and reflecting on the art form he once feared, Dance. His work encompasses a representation of his journey home to himself having felt disconnected all his life. Abeni’s creative process is subjective and heavily dependent on a cathartic approach, with light shed on the extremes of his emotional experiences, responses, and expression. Afé Abeni advocates for mental health by creating space for unfiltered expression and the sharing of those experiences leading to the medium, ‘Art’. He also seeks to take up space by being “unapologetically” his “body’s greatest occupant”, and now he leaps into greater new experiences as panic coexists with the greatest bulk of excitement for love, healing, and visibility. Afé Abeni, a non-conforming transman, represents boldness in his vulnerability through his work and in his growth into the creative dream.
Artist Statement
A work of art is never “finished” as there is always more to explore, to add, and to make enhancements with. Though there may be some semblance of completion reachable, thinking and exploration never halt. Through my choreographic process, I explore what is within me and I explore what is difficult for me to process. I explore primarily on themes along the lines of nature and its inhabitants and otherwise create work addressing political issues of gender inequality, race, and color issues as well as sharing the inner mappings of being Transgender. I usually begin a piece by improvising then selecting a prominent theme enlightening movement or sequence of movements. It is through improvisation that freedom of expression and experimentation comes into play for me. My goal as an aspiring choreographer, writer, and poet is to become fully aware of my body and invite others to experience liberation through movement and voice exploration. I aspire to have my work appreciated and respected for what it is and what it evokes. My style of movement and creating mirrors my journey through Neurodivergence. My way of movement is subtle and often draws lines in space to create unusual shapes and present different colors and shades of moving through life.