SOLO

exhibition

“I use color and shapes to express and bring my imagination to life.”

Keith Josiah, born March 26, 1997, is a 24-year-old painter, poet, and rap artist from Memphis, TN. Growing up Keith Josiah was heavily impacted by the culture of his city, often walking through downtown Memphis listening to the music that the city is known for.

I created this painting when I was younger, and I started to realize my destiny. No one goes through hardships for no reason. The way you react and rebound from that, makes you who you are. I don’t believe my destiny in life is to find happiness, my destiny in life is to help others find theirs. People always ask me “What makes you happy?” and usually are frustrated when i respond “seeing other people happy!” it's my destiny. This piece is accompanied by a poem I wrote in high school.

Growing up on Hip-hop, Rock N Roll, gospel, country, and blues, Keith Josiah’s main goal in life is to impact lives around the world. His art is his own self-expression that he uses to impact people by provoking self-reflection and has exhibited in New York, Los Angeles, Fort Worth, TX and Grayling, MI.

Good & Damaged

Acrylic

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This piece represents a common principle and mentality that i tend to carry. Those who we deem as evil are usually misunderstood, misinformed and or misguided. A lot of us are hurting and damaged, and it's causing the heart of mankind to react irrationally. So in my eyes the opposite of “good” is not evil. The opposite of “good” is damaged. This two panel piece was done on an old t-shirt at a time when I couldn't afford better materials and then later stretched over two canvases.

Throughout his life Keith Josiah has been fascinated with color. Growing up, his father was absent, and his mother worked several jobs. Using art as an escape, Keith would often come up with imaginary friends and draw them out and give them their own back story.

“I was intrigued to hear new things which have been infused in my creativity for painting.”

With his grandfather working with furniture, Keith’s creativity would be sparked by the raw materials of his grandfather’s workshop. Struggling with his confidence, Keith Josiah only recently began to call himself an artist, hiding his talent from most people including his family who wanted him to go to college for business.

“When the pandemic hit, I didn't have money but I used to paint on anything. That's why I got in so much trouble when I was little.”

Being an impulsive artist, Keith Josiah often uses raw materials for his art. T-shirts, old wood cutouts, bedsheets and old furniture are all materials Keith Josiah has used in his works. But it does not stop there, Keith uses coffee gesso glue and different juices to provoke a particular color or texture that he sees in his mind to create his pieces.

“It seems good to stand out at first until you want to work with curators and galleries and try to get artist grants and everybody says this is amazing but not exactly what I was looking for.”

Keith says different sounds provoke different shapes and colors in his mind which he uses to make his works. With that, his works share vibrant colors and raw techniques, which are prominent throughout his art.