Taya – Angolan Visual Artist Exploring Identity & Abstraction | Afrikanizm – Page 2

"For Taya, each artwork explores the human condition, balancing inner emotions with external realities. Her art reflects the complexity of human experience, capturing both personal and universal nuances. Through her work, she invites viewers to engage in introspection, offering a lens into the emotional landscapes that connect and differentiate us."

MEET

Joana Taya

Taya is a contemporary Angolan artist, educator, and graphic designer born in Lobito, Angola, and currently based in Lisbon, Portugal. Her multifaceted practice bridges figurative abstraction, African identity, and expressive design, reflecting a rich personal and cultural narrative shaped by migration, memory, and emotion.

With a BA (Honours) in Graphic Design and a Master’s degree specialising in Expressive Typography, Taya blends academic design expertise with a deeply intuitive visual language. Her paintings explore self-identity, emotional states, and social context, fusing geometric structure and organic forms to express complex inner worlds.

Exhibitions such as Precious Shadows (Espaço Luanda Arte, 2023) and Musas (Camões Cultural Centre, 2022) have affirmed her position in the growing wave of African women artists redefining the global art scene. Her work resonates with philosophical depth, engaging with themes of introspection, cultural duality, and the female experience.

Beyond her personal practice, Taya teaches Art & Design (IGCSE and A-Level) in Lisbon, nurturing the next generation of visual thinkers. She is also a key voice in Angolan art curation, co-leading JAANGO – Jovens Artistas Angolanos, a platform supporting emerging Angolan talents and reframing contemporary African visual culture.

Through her paintings, teaching, and curatorial efforts, Taya uses visual storytelling to foster dialogue, reflection, and cultural empowerment, offering a powerful voice within the diasporic African art community.

FROM OUR BLOGUE

Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) Poised to Transform Nigeria’s Cultural Landscape

The Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) in Benin City opens in November 2025 as a major cultural hub. The first stage features the new research-focused MOWAA Institute, alongside its inaugural exhibition Nigeria Imaginary: Homecoming. Designed by Adjaye Associates, the campus includes galleries, labs, performance spaces, and houses newly repatriated Benin Bronzes and contemporary artworks by Nigerian creators.

The Baobab and the Bronze: Rómulo Santa Rita’s Artistic Tribute to Cosal

For the third year in a row, Rómulo Santa Rita was chosen to design Grupo Cosal’s annual cover—this time crafting “Embondeiro,” a bronze sculpture inspired by a poem by Manuel Rui Monteiro. Featuring topographic reliefs of Kamacupa, the piece symbolises rootedness, artistic collaboration, and the deep connection between land, memory, and identity.

Sarasota Art Museum Spotlights Contemporary Black Artists in Celebrated Exhibitions

The Sarasota Art Museum’s ongoing 2025 exhibitions celebrate contemporary Black creativity with immersive works and a touring showcase featuring prints, quilts, sculptures, and installations by major names such as Martin Puryear, Kerry James Marshall, Gee’s Bend Quilters, and Lillian Blades. Through these transformative exhibitions, SAM continues to support artists illuminating stories of heritage, identity, and reflection.

Relooted: A Digital Escape Toward Cultural Justice

Relooted, launching later in 2025, is a puzzle-platform video game where players infiltrate Western museums to recover colonial-era African artifacts. Using stealth gameplay inspired by parkour and set in an Afrofuturistic near‑future, the game reflects the reality that 90% of Sub‑Saharan African cultural heritage is held outside the continent.

The Global Resonance of African Diaspora Art

Explore how African diaspora artists—through exhibitions, institutions, and digital innovation—have reshaped global contemporary art. This article charts their influence, showcasing both historical milestones and today's vibrant expressions.

The Weight of Clay: Kwame Akoto-Bamfo and the Art of Ancestral Justice

Ghanaian sculptor Kwame Akoto‑Bamfo uses his large installations and the Ancestor Project at Nkyinkyim Museum to confront the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade. His haunting sculptures—displayed globally and in Alabama—give voice to erased histories and foster collective healing.

From Independence to Influence: The Evolution of Contemporary African Art

This article charts the development of contemporary African art from the post-independence era to today’s global market boom. It highlights key movements, curators like Okwui Enwezor, diaspora artists, institutional growth, and the digital revolution shaping the continent’s creative future.

Africa Basel: Basel’s New Satellite Fair Rides the Wave of Contemporary African Art

Launching from June 17–22, Africa Basel joins Basel’s cultural landscape with a 14th-century venue and 18 galleries, emphasising meaningful engagement, inclusion, and the elevation of contemporary African art.

View All