What does it mean to make the invisible visible, to give form to the things we feel but cannot always articulate? The memories we carry, the rituals that sustain us, and the unspoken bonds that draw us to one another.

For artist Kwamé Azure Gomez, painting is a means of exploring these questions. Working across abstraction, video, and assemblage, Gomez creates richly layered compositions that draw upon the sensory and spiritual dimensions of life. Her practice is rooted in “the radical possibilities of movement” and an understanding of artmaking as an act of both discovery and devotion.

Raised in Ohio, Gomez grew up immersed in the traditions of the Black church, traveling across the Midwest as a member of a liturgical dance group. The rhythms, gestures, and collective expressions of worship that shaped her childhood would later find an unexpected parallel in the rituals of queer nightlife and ballroom culture. These seemingly disparate spaces share a profound capacity for transformation, offering opportunities for communion, self-expression, and transcendence.

When I visited Kwamé in her studio, the floor was covered in paint. We were surrounded by canvases that drew me in with their radiance. At the heart of Gomez’s work is a belief in the transformative power of paying attention—to ourselves, one another, and the worlds we inhabit.

A conversation about the tension between control and freedom, the importance of trusting one’s intuition, and the faith required to pursue a creative life.

03:02 – The origins of Kwamé’s practice

05:53 – Navigating life after graduate school

10:04 – The role of family and community

12:53 – Spirituality, dance, and queerness

17:17 – Kwamé’s process

22:04 – Kwamé’s evolution as an artist

35:26 – Kwamé on her artistic influences

Kwamé Azure Gomez is an artist from Akron, Ohio. Gomez has exhibited throughout the United States and Europe. Her work has been featured at James Cohan Gallery, New York, NY; New Image Art Gallery, West Hollywood, CA; SoLA Contemporary in Los Angeles, CA; Stony Island Arts Bank, Chicago, IL; Anthony Gallery Chicago, IL; and Dada Gallery, London, UK, among others. Gomez recently completed the prestigious NXTHVN artist residency in New Haven, CT. In 2022, she received the Emerging Artist grant from New American Paintings; the following year, her work was featured in New American Paintings MFA Issue 165. Gomez earned an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a BFA from the University of Akron; she lives and works in New Haven, CT.

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