My Ori and Me
Solo Exhibition by Kimora Sullivan
May 23 - 27, 2023
Reception: Saturday, May 27th | 6-8 PM
Exhibition Statement
My Ori and Me is a solo exhibition by Kimora Sullivan. The series contains an on going conversation with her ori or higher self. She does this in hopes to understand herself and her ancestors while navigating in a capitalistic environment. The series contains various paintings and drawings of people that her ori pulled her towards, as well as significant moments in her life where her ancestors were guiding her, along with numerous self portraits that showcase personal conversations with her ori. She uses mixed media and symbolism in her works that captures her struggle of reconnecting with her African roots while living in a western society, her growth with African spiritually and her mental health. Overall the series invites the viewer to explore their inner self (ori) and building a community of people who understands them mentally physically and spiritually.
More About Kimora
My name is Kimora Sullivan and I was born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina. I moved to Greensboro North Carolina in 2018 to receive my BFA in painting from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where I have mastered the use of oil paint as well as incorporating mixed media works.
I enjoy portraiture and capturing the lives of people, especially people of color. Growing up I always knew I wanted to do something in the arts but was overwhelmed with the lack of representation in the field and in art in general. I admired the greats like Claude Monet, Rembrandt Van Rijeka and Pablo Picasso and want to leave the same mark while also showcasing the beautiful lives of people of color. I plan to paint all varieties of people but I want to create a more conscious variety of representation within the art field.
During my time becoming a full time artist I have been influenced by astrology, African spirituality, the Black liberation movement and feminist theory. These interests always have a way of showing up in my work which makes it more personalized and unique not only for me but for the viewer to experience as well. I also enjoy color theory and the ways color and heighten other senses as well.
My goal for my work is to always shed light on the lives of minorities or issues that affect the everyday lives of the minority. I
enjoy creating work that allows people to self reflect and understand their influence on others and the world around them.
Since graduating my art influence consists of Sedrick Huckaby, Norman Lewis and Barkley L Hendricks. Huckaby and Hendricks both do portraiture that I aspire to achieve. I enjoy and inspire to use color as a part of building for the structure of a face like Huckaby while also doing full body portraits to explain the personality of the model. Norman Lewis has also inspired me with his use of color and thinking about how I want to visually use it more abstractly to create a uniform work.
