Abena Motaboli: The Joy of Deep Listening
It was February of 2022. I opened the door of a large, industrial building on the South side of Chicago housing dozens of studios, galleries, and creative spaces on five floors. I was excited to meet other artists in the community, and my palms were very sweaty. The gallery owner convened a circle to introduce ourselves, and I only remember two things from that point on: 1) Someone talking about their relationship to mother earth, and 2) Locking eyes with that person as I introduced myself, wide-eyed and enchanted.
The person I met is Abena Motaboli, and she is a Basotho–Ghanaian interdisciplinary artist, educator, and writer currently based in Chicago. She grew up in Lesotho, a landlocked nation surrounded by the country of South Africa, before moving to the United States and attending art school at Columbia College Chicago, where she obtained her bachelor of fine arts.
Deeply inspired by plants, nature, and our living world, she finds joy in using pigments of the earth, working with flowers, and being in conversation with everything around her. Her work has been exhibited across the US and Europe, and she is currently engaged with the Center For Humans and Nature as a Land Reciprocity Program Developer and in Land access research with the Kalliopeia Foundation.
Thank you for joining me, as I’m honored to share this journey and conversation with the incredibly gifted and wholly loving educator and artist, Abena Motaboli.
You can learn more about Abena and her beautiful practice online at:
Website: www.abenaart.com
Instagram: @abenaart
