COSMIC ROOTS #6

Ramel Jasir, 2026
Acrylic on canvas
24 × 30 inches (60.96 × 76.2 cm)

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COSMIC ROOTS #6 is a richly textured figurative painting by contemporary artist Ramel Jasir that explores identity, ancestry, inner stillness, and the enduring connection between the individual and the generations that came before. Rendered in acrylic on canvas, the work presents a contemplative Black woman surrounded by an expansive field of gold, her quiet posture balanced against an extraordinary accumulation of pattern, rhythm, and tactile detail.

Part of Jasir’s ongoing COSMIC ROOTS series, the painting considers identity as something larger than the individual—a living inheritance shaped by culture, experience, and ancestral presence. The figure appears grounded yet transcendent, suggesting a woman fully inhabiting both her physical presence and an interior world that extends far beyond the boundaries of the canvas.

About the Artwork

At the center of COSMIC ROOTS, the figure rests her head gently against her hand, her eyes closed in a moment of profound stillness. Her posture may suggest reflection, rest, meditation, or simply the confidence to exist without performance. There is no demand for the viewer’s attention; instead, her inward gaze shifts the emotional center of the painting toward self-possession and contemplation.

Behind her, a monumental golden circle creates a halo-like presence. Rather than functioning merely as a decorative backdrop, the circle evokes ideas of continuity, wholeness, celestial cycles, and the timelessness of ancestral connection. Its surface is densely articulated with raised markings, transforming the background into a tactile field that seems almost inscribed with memory.

That same visual language travels across the figure herself. Her skin, clothing, jewelry, and surrounding space are filled with intricate raised patterns, creating a remarkable physical surface that rewards close viewing. Sweeping spirals and elongated organic forms move throughout her garment in gold, black, and luminous blue. The recurring spiral—one of humanity’s most ancient visual forms—suggests movement, growth, return, and the continuing journey from one generation into the next.

The contrast between the figure’s stillness and the extraordinary activity of the surface gives this painting much of its power. She is quiet, but everything surrounding and covering her seems alive. Pattern becomes memory. Texture becomes language. Ornament becomes history.

From across a room, the painting presents an elegant and commanding silhouette. Up close, it reveals an intimate landscape of hand-built marks and subtle variations, emphasizing the labor, patience, and intentionality embedded within Jasir’s practice.