Encompassing sculpture, painting and photography, Emmanuel Massillon’s work examines the convoluted history of race, identity and culture and its relation to people of African descent. The artist uses language alongside physical materials—such as bullet shells, dirt and other found objects—to connect African folklore and folk art to the present African American experience. Massillon’s use of puns in his composition’s titles allude to the street vernacular used in his hometown of Washington DC—as well as referencing genres of African American music, which the artist believes to be one of the main preservers of Black culture in America.