About

Tunmi Da Silva (b. 1996, Antioch CA) is a Nigerian-American artist based in Los Angeles, CA. She holds a B. Arch degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (2019) and is currently a candidate for an MFA in Sculpture at UCLA (2027).

Artist Statement

A Nigerian-American artist of Aguda descent based in Los Angeles, CA, tunmi da silva allegorizes various forms of surface tensions, often referencing the folktale Chicken Little, visualizing conceptual vomit, what Audre Lorde calls a “molten pond” or “electric thread”, and reimagining Yoruba ààlè. A native Californian, da silva often responds to state’s landscape, regional histories, and regional cultures, in search of visual language for a personal identity shaped by colonization, imperialism, and globalization. She draws from a range of other inspirations, including Yoruba folklore, multiple architectures of the self, hydrology, necromantic allusions, youth cultures, her rich family legacies, and childhood memories. Her work is ultimately concerned with the various perspectives of and on self-absorption, as well as the quest for power.