At a recent book signing and conversation, celebrated visual artist Harmonia Rosales shared the deeply personal journey behind her new work – a project that bridges painting and literature to reimagine African cosmology within the Western canon. Known for her bold reinterpretations of classical masterpieces, Rosales has spent years repurposing Eurocentric narratives by centering Black figures in stories of beauty, power, and divinity.
Rosales opened the discussion with a proverb that frames her creative philosophy: “Every mind is a world.” For her, that world is rooted in ancestral memory and cultural survival. Growing up in Chicago, she absorbed oral traditions passed down by her Cuban grandmother, stories that later became the foundation of her art. Although art was always her refuge, Rosales admits her path was not linear. After years away from painting, a visit to a museum with her daughter reignited her calling. That moment became a turning point: “I realized I had to find happiness again,” she said. From then on, her work sought to create spaces where African deities and diasporic histories could thrive – spaces often absent in mainstream art history.
Her latest book Chronicles of Ori:An African Epic expands this mission. It offers a literary counterpart to her visual storytelling, weaving together research on Yoruba cosmology, Atlantic history, and the African diaspora. Rosales describes the process as both daunting and liberating: “I started writing like I speak – just telling the stories as I told them to my kids.” The result is a narrative that challenges erasure and reframes mythology as a source of empowerment rather than survival alone.
Symbolism plays a central role in her work. From serpents representing knowledge and transformation to gardens embodying destiny, each element carries layered meaning. Rosales explains that these choices are intentional: “Christianity has demonized certain powerful things. I’m trying to reclaim them.” Her imagery resists imposed narratives, offering instead a vision of interconnectedness and resilience.
Beyond the book, Rosales continues to push boundaries in major art institutions. Recent projects include a commission for Boston’s historic King’s Chapel, where she created a sculpture honoring enslaved individuals who built the church. She’s now preparing for an exhibition at The Getty – a space she once considered inaccessible. “Entering these spaces is a conversation in itself,” she noted, underscoring the significance of representation in traditionally white-dominated art circles.
When asked what she hopes her work will spark decades from now, Rosales was clear: “Conversations about how powerful we are, how we shaped so many things that were said we did not.” For her, this book is not just a publication – it is part of a movement to restore cultural memory and inspire future generations of artists and scholars.
As the event closed, Rosales urged attendees to keep the stories alive: “Choose a child and read these stories to them. Keep passing them down.” In that call to action lies the essence of her work…a commitment to continuity, creativity, and the reclamation of identity.♦
