About Kinnanm

KINNANM is my creative practice and my way of staying in relationship with memory, ancestry, and self. The name comes from the Haitian words kinanm (kindred) and nanm (soul), because connection is the through-line of everything I make. At the heart of the work is a deep respect for African artistry and the ways form, ritual, and symbolism carry knowledge across generations. I create handmade sculptural candles that fuse sculpture, scent, and memory. Each form draws from the spiritual and aesthetic traditions of West and Central Africa, inspired by masks that hold history, creativity, and reverence. These are not replicas, but translations. I’m interested in what it means to honor lineage while allowing it to breathe in the present, shaped by my lived experience as a Haitian woman in diaspora. Scent plays a central role in this dialogue. It moves invisibly, emotionally, and intuitively, activating memory and presence in ways language often can’t. Paired with sculptural form, each candle becomes an object of pause. Something you live with, light slowly, and return to. A quiet ritual woven into everyday life.Read their story