About the artist
Josphine Merisa (b.1996),
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known as JMTHEARTISTS is Kenyan born visual artist based in Norway. Her practice explores identity, belonging and cultural memory through contemporary figurative painting.
A self taught, Merisa began painting in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Having grown up in a small rural town in Norway, sorrounded predominately by western cultural influences, she rarely encountered visual representation that reflected her own African heritage.Â
What began as a search for representation evolved into a process of reconnecting with her Kenyan roots and navigating the complexities of a life shaped by multiple cultures.Â
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Working in expressive figuration and vibrant colours, Merisa draws inspiration from ordinary people, places and everyday moments. Through gaze, gesture, symbolism and cultural details, she gives her subjects a strong and often monumental presence. Her paintings preserve stories and experiences that can easily be overlooked, but by bringing them forward with dignity, complexity and emotional presence, she invites the viewers to consider what identity, belonging, cultural heritage can mean.