Mikel Elam is a Philadelphia artist who works primarily in figure painting. Often associated with Afrofuturism, a cultural movement that combines science-fiction, history, and fantasy to imagine a liberated Black experience, Elam began a personal journey 10 years ago into the intersection of spirituality and neuroscience. He says, “I have a special interest in Africa (which is) considered by many anthropologists to be the origin of all life... In many ways, science, spirituality, and art are essential to our cultural and mental development. They are more compatible than we might think.” 

Elam began to collect masks from his travels to Africa, as well as Mexico, India, China, and Italy. Although masks are frequently viewed negatively as shields or disguises, Elam sees their potential to reveal positive aspects of the wearer’s true selves— “I remember visiting Venice, Italy during Carnival and watching people wearing their masks proudly during their daily routines of going to work, to school, and other obligations. I watched as they became the characters of the masks they chose.”

During this time, he also began to examine how keys functioned symbolically in music, literature, and film. Keys unlock physical doors, as well as metaphorical barriers (“the key to one’s heart”). In airports, there are crowds of people whose paths cross momentarily and often never again. For his work at Philadelphia International Airport, combining masks with keys felt like a natural decision. In Elam’s painting, the keys are positioned to reflect the flow of people in transit; sometimes they move in harmony and at other times in opposite directions. Unapologetically optimistic, Elam also surrounds the heads with keys to suggest halos or auras, positively reflecting each character’s inner glow.

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