Bio
Rashad Ali Muhammad is a multidisciplinary artist of the African diaspora residing in the Washington, DC region. He’s known for creating vivid and captivating works reflective of the vast complexities of the human experience. Muhammad primarily explores the intersections of culture, race, spirituality, identity, emotions, and sensuality through collage. He celebrates the vastness of the human spirit, reinforcing notions of individuality, self-love, and connection. His work reflects a desire for people to relate and understand each other on a deeper level and addresses stereotypes and misconceptions that (continue to) confront people of color and queer people today.
Artist statement
My ongoing journey to expand my emotional intelligence ignited my desire to explore the complexities of the human experience, particularly living authentically. The vast intersectionalities that shape our lives (race, gender, religion, socio-economic status, and more) can be daunting. But recognizing we're all living through our own unique perspectives and life experiences makes it easier to relate -- knowing that we all seek the same essential needs to feel fulfilled in life: security, value, connection, variety, growth, and contribution.
What does your reality look like if you allow yourself to be who you honestly are without concern for what others want you to be? At the core of my art practice, I endeavor to cultivate space where individuals can explore their authenticity by highlighting the universal needs we all seek. Once I honored my needs, releasing the pressures to conform to what I thought others wanted of me, I was free to live genuinely.
What continues to motivate you to create your work?
My ongoing journey to expand my emotional intelligence ignited my desire to explore the complexities of the human experience and the vast intersections that shape our lives (race, gender, religion, upbringing, and so on). My art practice is motivated by cultivating a space where individuals can celebrate and explore their authenticity by highlighting the universal needs we all seek to feel fulfilled in life: security, value, connection, variety, growth, and contribution.
Who or what influences your practice?
Art imitates life; therefore, my practice is influenced by the culmination of my lived experiences, views, and life lessons from my Black and Queer perspective. This series of collages from my LIBERATED collection explores the notion of releasing ourselves from the confines of who we think the world wants us to be. What does our reality resemble if we stop questioning what our family, friends, colleagues, and society thinks of us? For me, collage itself symbolizes the reimagining of what has been created and our ability to reconfigure it into the world we envision.
How would you describe the mood of your work?
My artwork is like the warm embrace of a loved one after a long day. The person that creates space for respite and rejuvenation from our heavy, complex world. The person who makes you feel seen and heard with no judgment. The person who nurtures, uplifts, and tells you just what you need to keep going.
What do you feel is the most challenging part of being an artist?
One of the most challenging aspects of being an artist is balancing studio and business operations time. Each day is a balancing act between making art, sales, marketing, writing proposals, family time, self-care, and so on! For artists who work full time like me, it's even more imperative to schedule our time. I've yet to strike the balance that works for me, but I'm optimistic that I will!
Tell us about something from your creative life that you are particularly proud of.
My creative life has really been flourishing lately! The collages shown in this issue were part of my solo exhibition, LIBERATED, at the Strathmore in Maryland. I was selected for the second season of NFT Residents for Voice.com, where I'm creating a collection of NFTs centered around the healing effects of nature. My abstract collage series will be featured as a solo exhibition in August 2023 at the Art League in Alexandria, VA. I don't know what's next, but I approach each opportunity with an optimistic outlook.
