Abi Salami
Abi Salami is a Nigerian-American visual artist based in Dallas, Texas. A self-taught artist, Salami graduated with a Masters in Professional Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin and worked in public accounting and real estate for almost a decade before deciding to follow her passion for art as a full-time career.
She creates vibrant, colorful, cultural pieces with the primary goal of creating awareness about the importance of mental health. Growing up in a Nigerian household while suffering from depression was challenging for Salami as discussing and addressing mental illness within the African community is still very taboo. After suffering privately for years, she is now dedicated to using her artwork to ensure that others do not have to continue to suffer in silence.
Inspired by the Surrealism Art movement, she has developed her own visual vocabulary consisting of various symbolic objects to create paintings that appear normal at first glance, but upon further inspection appear to be slightly out of touch with reality. Her objective is to spark the curiosity of viewers, so that they seek to know the meaning behind these symbols, and this will hopefully encourage discussions about mental health and help to chip away at the associated stigma. Her works have been showcased at the Craighead Green Gallery, Hearne Fine Art Gallery, Framed Gallery, The African American Museum of Dallas, The Women’s Museum of Dallas, George A. Purefoy Municipal Center, Fort Worth Community Arts Center and the Texas Visual Arts Association.
Artist Statement
Creating artwork that reflects internal life through the combination of external sources is the goal of my work. While my paintings have multitudes of subjects, styles, and colors, I strive to make the viewer aware of the need for discussions surrounding mental health —particularly in the African Community. Because I grew up battling depression in a Nigerian household, I struggled for years with openly sharing my truth with others, fearing that it would be too taboo. Visual art has become a way to circumvent that, as exemplified by a series of works that seem like simple representations on the surface but hold realities that are slightly out of place once examined closely.
My compositions and palettes are careful choices sifted from my many influences. Surrealism, socio-political works, fashion, and my heritage coalesce into my singular voice. African fashion has a particular beauty for me, and I make sure to feature the bold patterns and colors often worn around the continent. I also try to encapsulate the endless sights and sounds often found in Nigeria, creating representations of men and women either existing harmoniously in their world or becoming obscured by surreality. While I emphasize the figures in my paintings, their surroundings or adornments are equally important. The inspirations I have gathered and techniques I employ have helped me to consistently experiment and develop a style that reflects my truth. I hope that through my work, the viewer can recognize the beauty of the external world and the undercurrents of struggle within it. While mental illness exists under the surface, it informs the world that is visible to the eye. Once the internal life of humanity is fully recognized and talked about, we can build a better future upon the truths we find.
CV
Education
2015-2016 Sofia Art Academy
2009 University of Texas at Austin (Masters in Professional Accounting)
2008 University of Texas at Austin (Bachelor of Business Administration)
Solo Exhibitions
2019, My Africa, Curated by Garbo Hearne, Hearne Fine Art, Little Rock, Arkansas
2018, From the Whimsical Mind, Curated by Jeffrey Richardson, Kanju Interiors, Dallas, Texas
Curated Group Exhibitions
2019, 30th International Juried Exhibition, Part 2, Curated by Vernita Nemec, Viridian Artists Inc.,New York, NY
2019, New Texas Talent XXVI, Curated by Caleb Bell, Craighead Green, Dallas, Texas
2019, Texas Vignette Art Fair, Curated by Leslie Moody Castro, The Women's Museum, Dallas, Texas
2019, #UsToo - Phenomenonal Women, Curated by Jennifer Cowley, African American Museum, Dallas,Texas
2019, Disrupt Dallas, Curated by Daisha Board, SPACES, Dallas, Texas
2019, Falling in Love with Me, Curated by Stacie Monday, Our Urban Hippies, Dallas, Texas
2018, Part 2, Curated by Dean Onwumere, Alto211, Dallas, Texas
Juried Group Exhibitions
2018, Art at the Atrium, George A. Purefoy Municipal Center, Frisco, Texas
2018, Art on the Veranda, Fort Worth Community Arts Center, Fort Worth, Texas
2018, September Shadows, Texas Visual Arts Association, Dallas, Texas
2018, Bombshell Pop Art Show, Fort Worth, Texas
2018, Gender in Society, Juried Exhibition, Texas Visual Arts Association, Dallas, Texas
2018, Desoto Art League Exhibition, Desoto, Texas
2018, Texas Visual Arts Association 71st Annual Members Exhibition, Dallas, Texas
2018, Texas Visual Arts Association New Member Juried Exhibition, Dallas, Texas
2017, Judge Amber Given-Davis Art Exhibition, Dallas, Texas
Press
2019 KARK 4 Today Television Interview
2019 KTHV11 Television Interview
2018 Black Girls Who Paint
2018 VoyageDallas
2018 She’s Off Script Podcast
2017 Prosper Press
2017 Anna-Melissa Tribune
2017 Van Alstyne Leader
2017 Herald Democrat
Collections
2018 Norbert Simmons Foundation, Miami Florida
2018 African American Museum, Dallas, Texas
2018 Dallas Art Therapy, Dallas, Texas
Abi Salami is a Nigerian-American visual artist based in Dallas, Texas. A self-taught artist, Salami graduated with a Masters in Professional Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin and worked in public accounting and real estate for almost a decade before deciding to follow her passion for art as a full-time career.
She creates vibrant, colorful, cultural pieces with the primary goal of creating awareness about the importance of mental health. Growing up in a Nigerian household while suffering from depression was challenging for Salami as discussing and addressing mental illness within the African community is still very taboo. After suffering privately for years, she is now dedicated to using her artwork to ensure that others do not have to continue to suffer in silence.
Inspired by the Surrealism Art movement, she has developed her own visual vocabulary consisting of various symbolic objects to create paintings that appear normal at first glance, but upon further inspection appear to be slightly out of touch with reality. Her objective is to spark the curiosity of viewers, so that they seek to know the meaning behind these symbols, and this will hopefully encourage discussions about mental health and help to chip away at the associated stigma. Her works have been showcased at the Craighead Green Gallery, Hearne Fine Art Gallery, Framed Gallery, The African American Museum of Dallas, The Women’s Museum of Dallas, George A. Purefoy Municipal Center, Fort Worth Community Arts Center and the Texas Visual Arts Association.
Artist Statement
Creating artwork that reflects internal life through the combination of external sources is the goal of my work. While my paintings have multitudes of subjects, styles, and colors, I strive to make the viewer aware of the need for discussions surrounding mental health —particularly in the African Community. Because I grew up battling depression in a Nigerian household, I struggled for years with openly sharing my truth with others, fearing that it would be too taboo. Visual art has become a way to circumvent that, as exemplified by a series of works that seem like simple representations on the surface but hold realities that are slightly out of place once examined closely.
My compositions and palettes are careful choices sifted from my many influences. Surrealism, socio-political works, fashion, and my heritage coalesce into my singular voice. African fashion has a particular beauty for me, and I make sure to feature the bold patterns and colors often worn around the continent. I also try to encapsulate the endless sights and sounds often found in Nigeria, creating representations of men and women either existing harmoniously in their world or becoming obscured by surreality. While I emphasize the figures in my paintings, their surroundings or adornments are equally important. The inspirations I have gathered and techniques I employ have helped me to consistently experiment and develop a style that reflects my truth. I hope that through my work, the viewer can recognize the beauty of the external world and the undercurrents of struggle within it. While mental illness exists under the surface, it informs the world that is visible to the eye. Once the internal life of humanity is fully recognized and talked about, we can build a better future upon the truths we find.
CV
Education
2015-2016 Sofia Art Academy
2009 University of Texas at Austin (Masters in Professional Accounting)
2008 University of Texas at Austin (Bachelor of Business Administration)
Solo Exhibitions
2019, My Africa, Curated by Garbo Hearne, Hearne Fine Art, Little Rock, Arkansas
2018, From the Whimsical Mind, Curated by Jeffrey Richardson, Kanju Interiors, Dallas, Texas
Curated Group Exhibitions
2019, 30th International Juried Exhibition, Part 2, Curated by Vernita Nemec, Viridian Artists Inc.,New York, NY
2019, New Texas Talent XXVI, Curated by Caleb Bell, Craighead Green, Dallas, Texas
2019, Texas Vignette Art Fair, Curated by Leslie Moody Castro, The Women's Museum, Dallas, Texas
2019, #UsToo - Phenomenonal Women, Curated by Jennifer Cowley, African American Museum, Dallas,Texas
2019, Disrupt Dallas, Curated by Daisha Board, SPACES, Dallas, Texas
2019, Falling in Love with Me, Curated by Stacie Monday, Our Urban Hippies, Dallas, Texas
2018, Part 2, Curated by Dean Onwumere, Alto211, Dallas, Texas
Juried Group Exhibitions
2018, Art at the Atrium, George A. Purefoy Municipal Center, Frisco, Texas
2018, Art on the Veranda, Fort Worth Community Arts Center, Fort Worth, Texas
2018, September Shadows, Texas Visual Arts Association, Dallas, Texas
2018, Bombshell Pop Art Show, Fort Worth, Texas
2018, Gender in Society, Juried Exhibition, Texas Visual Arts Association, Dallas, Texas
2018, Desoto Art League Exhibition, Desoto, Texas
2018, Texas Visual Arts Association 71st Annual Members Exhibition, Dallas, Texas
2018, Texas Visual Arts Association New Member Juried Exhibition, Dallas, Texas
2017, Judge Amber Given-Davis Art Exhibition, Dallas, Texas
Press
2019 KARK 4 Today Television Interview
2019 KTHV11 Television Interview
2018 Black Girls Who Paint
2018 VoyageDallas
2018 She’s Off Script Podcast
2017 Prosper Press
2017 Anna-Melissa Tribune
2017 Van Alstyne Leader
2017 Herald Democrat
Collections
2018 Norbert Simmons Foundation, Miami Florida
2018 African American Museum, Dallas, Texas
2018 Dallas Art Therapy, Dallas, Texas
