Artist Statement

Most people are afraid of the dark; not the ‘boogie man in your basement’ dark but the ‘creepy shadows lurking in your memories’ kind. I found healing by sitting in the stillness of the darkest corners of myself. I found they were not so scary; afterall we are born from the darkness of wombs, seeds sprout from the darkness of the earth, life happens in the dark.

My work seeks to explore the experiences of people of the African diaspora, the experiences that over time become written on the body and etched into the eyes. Experiences that we feel and sometimes have no words for. I explore what it means to be Black from my lens of being half African, half American born in Africa living in America being made to feel like I don’t belong anywhere but learning how to fit everywhere. I explore how spirituality, ancestry, and mental illness are impacted by the void created when histories and identities were stolen.Through my work I invite us all to seek healing in the darkness

Bio

Arizona-based artist Suomo (Sw OH mo) draws much inspiration from her multi-cultural heritage and upbringing in Central, Western, and Southern Africa. Her artistic journey, predominantly marked by an affinity for drawing, underwent a transformative shift in 2021, as she ventured into the realm of painting, developing a deep connection with the expressive medium.

Her work studies themes of loss, mental illness, and colonialization, as well as the reclamation of cultural identity, healing, and spiritual awakening. She is best known for her use of bold, textured palette knife strokes juxtaposed with intricately rendered, profoundly evocative figures. This harmonious balance of boldness and delicacy depicted by her work mirrors the dynamic relationship between struggle and release in life.

CV

  • A King’s Sun | Artemizia Foundation | Permanent Collection | Bisbee, AZ | 2023

  • What Did They Take From You | Milking a Duck by Kate Parfet | pois é publishing | p. 20 | 2023

  • Nina, Untitled | Tucson Gallery at Proper Shops | Queer AF Tucson | Tucson, AZ | 2023

  • Member | Southwest Black Artist Network | Tucson, AZ | 2023

  • Featured Artist | Black Renaissance Arizona | Tucson, AZ | 2022

  • Featured Storyteller | Live Out Loud at the Fleming | Burlington, VT | 2021

  • Erasure | Multimedia display | The Fleming Museum of Art | Burlington, VT | 2021

  • The Things She Carried | Winner | BIPOC Juried Art Contest | Art For Your Cause | 2021

  • The Things She Carried | Winner | 2nd Place | Art Hop Juried Competition | SEABA Art Hop | Burlington, VT | 2021

  • Maltex Exhibit | SEABA Art Hop | Burlington, VT | 2021

  • Reclaim Gallery | Southern Fried Queer Pride | Atlanta, GA | 2021

  • Unsure | The Anthropology of Motherhood | Three Rivers Art Festival | Pittsburgh, PA | 2021

  • Loving Wyoming Gallery | Wyoming Center for the Fine Arts | Cincinnati, OH | 2021

  • Art In a Time Like This | Grand Isle Art Works | Grand Isle, VT | 2021

  • Cover & Feature | Black Minds Magazine Issue #3 | Black Minds Publishing | 2021

  • Feature | Mixed Magazine Issue #7 | 2021

  • Feature | NNC Gallery Magazine | p. 57 | 2021