This artist uses nails, gold, plants, and flowers to capture the ‘aura of Blackness’
This artist uses nails, gold, plants, and flowers to capture the ‘aura of Blackness’
This artist uses nails gold plants – Alexis Peskine’s studio in Issy-les-Moulineaux, France, is more than a space for creation—it’s a symphony of sound. On days when the air is thick with the scent of varnish, the rhythmic tapping of hammers against wood interweaves with the soulful beats of amapiano music or the smooth melodies of Stevie Wonder. These layered noises drift through open windows, creating an immersive atmosphere that echoes the cultural fusion central to his work. When the artist steps back to admire his latest piece, the result is nothing short of transformative: a striking, three-dimensional representation of Blackness, where each nail embedded in the wood becomes a conduit for light, evoking the contours of skin and the essence of identity.
A Multifaceted Vision of Blackness
Peskine, a multidisciplinary visual artist, seamlessly blends photography, filmmaking, and mixed-media techniques to craft his unique vision. His signature method involves embedding thousands of nails into wooden panels, which are naturally stained using materials like mud, coffee, leaves, and flowers. These elements, drawn from nature, serve as both pigments and textures, grounding his abstract interpretations in the tangible. The final works—ranging from towering 4- to 8-foot figures to intricate facial portraits—capture the “aura of Africanness, of Blackness” as he describes, translating ancestral traditions into modern art.
His most recent collection, titled “Ouro Verde,” draws inspiration from the Portuguese phrase meaning “green gold.” This series delves into the healing practices of African ancestry, celebrating the spiritual and cultural resilience of the diaspora. “It’s more a pivot to go on celebrating us and being oblivious to White Supremacy,” Peskine said in a reflective tone. “To see the beauty of our cultures, of our ancestral ways of healing.” The collection not only honors these practices but also serves as a visual metaphor for the enduring strength of Black communities.
Roots in Cultural Fusion and Identity
Born in France to a Franco-Russian Jewish father and an Afro-Brazilian mother from Salvador de Bahia, Peskine’s heritage is as layered as his art. Salvador de Bahia, often regarded as the most African city outside the continent, has a population where 80% identifies as Black or mixed race. This cultural backdrop has deeply influenced his perspective, shaping a worldview that bridges continents and histories.
Peskine’s towering physique—standing at 6-foot-5-inches—mirrors the scale of his ambitions. As a former basketball player who speaks five languages, he has traveled to 33 African countries, driven by a desire to explore the continent’s diverse landscapes and traditions. By the time he reaches 54, he aims to have visited all 54 nations, a goal that underscores his commitment to understanding and representing the African experience.
His artistic journey began in the shadow of discrimination, both in France and during his formative years in Brazil. These early experiences, combined with his education at Howard University in the United States—a historically Black institution—have forged a sense of “pure diaspora” in his upbringing. The art he creates is, in many ways, a tribute to this complex identity, weaving together personal history with collective memory.
Technique and Spiritual Symbolism
At the heart of Peskine’s process is a technique he refined over two decades. He begins by digitally translating photographs of his subjects into dot patterns, a method inspired by silk-screen printing but inverted. Instead of using ink, he employs nails to create silhouettes, each one strategically placed to form a narrative of light and shadow. The wood panels, dyed with natural materials, act as a canvas, while the nails and gold leaf become tools for storytelling.
“Those nails capture light; our bodies and faces are then shaped with sunlight,” Peskine told CNN. This interplay of light and material is not just aesthetic—it’s symbolic. The nails, he explains, evoke the resilience of Black people, their sharp edges representing both vulnerability and strength. The gold leaf, applied atop each nail, adds a layer of opulence, reflecting the cultural richness of the African diaspora.
The technique also draws from the spiritual practices of the Kongo people, particularly the Minkisi Nkondi, or “spirit figures.” These wooden statues, adorned with nails and other objects, were believed to hold protective power for their owners. Peskine’s work echoes this tradition, though with a contemporary twist. “One might recognize their influence in Hollywood’s depiction of ‘voodoo dolls,’” he noted. Despite being demonized or destroyed by missionaries, Minkisi Nkondi survived and were carried across the Atlantic, eventually finding their way to Howard University. There, Peskine was first inspired by their symbolic resonance.
A Brush with Death and Renewed Purpose
During a residency in Cameroon in April 2022, Peskine’s journey took an unexpected turn. He contracted cerebral malaria, a condition that went undetected until he returned to Europe. What initially seemed like a routine illness escalated into a life-threatening ordeal, leading to a three-week hospital stay and a three-day coma. “I didn’t see a white light,” he recalled, “but I woke up to the sound of samba music, as if people were playing in the next room.”
This near-death experience became a catalyst for his spiritual evolution. Samba, the music that greeted him in the hospital, has its origins in the Bahia region of Brazil—where his mother hails from—and is rooted in the rhythms of West and Central African drumming. Peskine believes this connection to his ancestors was intentional. “I don’t know if it was my ancestors,” he reflected, “but the music felt like a message from them.”
Strengthened by this encounter, Peskine sought initiation into Candomblé, an Afro-Brazilian religion that shares its spiritual foundations with the samba he awoke to. This religion, like the Minkisi Nkondi, is a testament to the survival and adaptation of African traditions in the face of colonialism. When Catholicism was imposed on enslaved Africans, they blended their beliefs with those of the saints, preserving their heritage through a kind of spiritual camouflage. Peskine’s work, much like these traditions, bridges the past and present, honoring the roots while embracing the future.
Through his art, Peskine not only celebrates Blackness but also challenges the dominant narratives that have often marginalized it. His pieces are a dialogue between cultures, a conversation between the ancestral and the contemporary. As he continues to explore the continent, his work remains a powerful reminder of the enduring legacy of African traditions—and the beauty that arises from their intersection with modern creativity.
