The Threads of Us
This was one of the art pieces that was created as part of our Transforming Perspective project in 2025 that was focused on understanding the ways art can be used as a way to engage in dialogue, deep learning and collective systems transformation. Read more about the project here.
Artist Statement
The Threads of Us is an abstract reflection on shared humanity, difference, and
the systems that both connect and challenge us. The overlapping silhouettes
represent distinct identities and lived experiences, separate in form, yet
occupying the same space. The figures in the foreground reflect the present and
future, while those behind them echo history, memory, and inherited narratives
that continue to shape our realities.
The intersecting red lines symbolize tension, struggle, and the complex systems
we navigate, not as forces that divide us completely, but as threads that pass
through all of us. ( I also used red because we all have red blood inside of us). At
the center of the composition, a rising sun and its yellow-coloured rays represent
renewal, dialogue, and the possibility of collective understanding. The sky blue
and green fields reference openness, grounding, and growth, that we all all
share, same skies and same green land, suggesting that progress requires both
imagination and rootedness.
Through this work, I invite viewers to reflect on how equity, diversity, and
inclusion are not endpoints, but ongoing processes, shaped by history, lived
experience, and our willingness to meet one another with dignity and care.
As a creative process, art becomes a tool for facilitation and education by opening emotional
access points. It creates conditions for learning that are relational rather than transactional,
which is essential in systems-change work.
Artist Profile
Damilare Bakare is a multidisciplinary artist, mixed martial artist, athlete, and creative entrepreneur whose work bridges storytelling, movement, innovation and cultural expression. As the founder of XposureNow, The Fusion Forum, and The Rocker Brand, his practice spans visual arts, film, photography, and performance, often weaving in themes of innovation, culture, identity, resilience and spiritual liberation. Through community-driven projects, he explores how art can challenge rigid systems, create spaces for co-creation, and spark solidarity across cultures. Rooted in Nigerian heritage, including the British and Canadian experience, Damilare uses his craft to celebrate multiculturalism and reimagine futures where creativity, equity, innovation and collective empowerment thrive.