edicated to the emotional welfare of malekind™, my body of work serves as both lantern and ledger—an illuminated paper trail that ensure the arrival of father & son back to their truest expression.
Each sheet an “art-to-fact” -a reckoning, a sanctuary, and a radical act of remembrance, forged by adolescent & adult males, who are navigating the shadowed corners of self-fathering.
Woven within the layers, textures, and lines lies an ancient wisdom—the echoes of silent battles, inherited wounds, and untold resilience passed through generations, unseen and untranslated.
That is until now.
y assignment is to ensure that no son goes unseen, no father walks alone—and both live in contribution to a legacy of unity and understanding.
’m JuVan Langford, known artistically as JuVeee—a Cape Verdean-American, a New England native, and a Contemporary Abstract Expressionist.
My work is both mirror and map—a reflection of what’s been lost and a guide to what must be reclaimed, especially for fathers and sons.
As the eldest of five and the only son, I carried the weight of expectation early. The loss of my father, the scars of abuse, and the echoes of schoolyard cruelty shaped me, hardened me, made me question what it meant to be a man.
I moved through the world wary of men, unsure if I could ever truly belong among them—an experience I didn’t realize so many others were facing, too.
ut silence was never my inheritance. I actively pursued healing—through therapy, mentorship, leadership, spiritual exploration, and ultimately, art—my chosen vehicle of expression.
I am passionately building a body of work that challenges the injustices and imbalances in masculinity. This work is not just art—it is a reckoning, a rupture, a call for MaleKind™ to do the brave thing: to cross the line of expression.
I am aware of the conversations buried beneath the skin of masculinity, waiting to be unearthed—not just in words, but in color, form, and truth.
And before any of that can happen sustainably, we must first gather.
he realization was both devastating and profound. Because it wasn’t just about his absence—it was about the long shadow it cast over who I would become. How would I lead? How would I love? How would I build a life without the blueprint of the man who should have shown me the way?
That moment rewired me. It forced me to confront the quiet, unresolved grief I had been carrying—the way it had shaped my thinking, my relationships, my very identity.
And from that reckoning, a new question emerged:
If my father wasn’t going to be there to guide me, who would I have to become to guide myself?
yes closed, palms open, my breath steady but uncertain. I stood in a room of 120 strangers, all of us deep in a cathartic leadership exercise—some silent, some sobbing, some barely holding it together. The air was thick with unspoken truths, the weight of realizations forming in real-time.
And then, like a gut punch I never saw coming, it hit me.
My father would not be there. Not for the big moments. Not for the small ones. Not for the milestones that mark a man’s life.
He wouldn’t be in the audience when I achieved something worth celebrating. He wouldn’t be there to challenge me, to steady me, to witness me.
RECENT WORx
Go Off, Pele!
Go Off, Pelé is an homage to the late Brazilian phenom and global football icon, Edson Arantes do Nascimento—known mononymously as Pelé. Undeniably one of the most celebrated sports figures of the 20th century, his influence transcended the pitch, shaping the culture and spirit of the beautiful game for generations.
Masterfully employing native Brazilian Coffee Bean alongside recycled new articles , weaving texture and depth into the piece—each layer a tribute to Pelé’s unparalleled reign, his resilience, and his artistry in motion. The composition echoes the rhythm of his play: bold, fluid, and untouchable. A king not only in sport but in spirit,
Go Off, Pelé immortalizes his legacy—a testament to the dreams he inspired and the boundaries he shattered.
Brazil, Commissioned Tribute to Pelé designated in the home of
America Singer, songwriter, Lenny Kravitz
