Through his deliberate choice of oil on canvas, Jakinda Mshindi Boya emerges as a powerful voice in the historically white male-dominated art world. With his textured portraits of black individuals, Boya explores the complexity of the black experience, challenging one-dimensional narratives.
Inspired by pop culture, Boya's accessible paintings celebrate black joy and resilience. By incorporating symbols like football jerseys, he examines the concept of escapism and highlights the god-like status of certain players in the black community. Boya uses traditional oil painting as a "Trojan horse" to tell authentic black stories in elite white spaces.
Unafraid of intellectualisation, Boya’s art remains identifiable to the average black person. His textural style and focus on black masculinity aims to normalise nuanced perceptions of blackness in a world where representation has been limited.
Boya’s voice subverts narratives and champions the diversity of the black experience.
Boya’s portraits dive into the multiplicity of black identities. His deliberate medium challenges exclusivity, while his culturally-rooted language speaks to those alienated by formal art. Boya’s voice subverts narratives and champions the diversity of the black experience.
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