Internal Excavation with Tayo Heuser

In this episode I have an incredibly rich dialogue with visual artist Tayo Heuser. We learned about her very unique upbringing, having grown up living multiple countries and continents. We talked about how these experiences shaped her relationship to her art and her spirituality. We talked about her interactions with Shamans at young age and how her explorations of Mosques and ancient sites influenced her curiosity with geometry and organic forms found in nature. We discuss her work and the importance of her studio being a sacred space. We also talk about the art world institutions and contemplated why some may be more inclined to feel the spiritual energy in art while others have a more difficult time. All in all it was a really engaging discussion and Tayo is such an important voice for the emerging institutional acceptance of the Spiritual in art.

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Tayo Heuser was born in Washington D.C. but raised in North, East and West Africa. She returned to the United States to attend college at the Rhode Island School of Design.

In Tunisia Heuser wandered the ruins of Carthage admiring the vast expanses of the former Roman market place and baths, along with the Roman mosaics still embedded in the ground. The Great Mosque of Kairouan with its horseshoe arches and Islamic tiles were mesmerizing. 
Thus began her interest in the geometry used to create patterns. The visual experiences would continue to inform her artwork for years to come. Libya and the Sudan would also influence her work not only for the Roman ruins but her voyages through the Sahara. The night sky and infinite horizon of the desert would be imprinted on her mind. The other end of the spectrum from the stillness of the desert would be in the Ivory Coast. Heuser would revel in the vibrant color of the textiles worn by the Ivorian people along with the varied and abundant vegetation.  Often a friend would drive her into the bushland to meet with shamans. 

Heuser is a world citizen. Her identity transcends her geography and political borders. Her art work is a confluence of her cultural experiences both visual and spiritual. Her paintings are like portals in that they represent a world of infinite possibilities. There is time for reflectivity and timeless tranquility. They create a heightened perception of the world we live in. They are passageways between her interior and exterior worlds like a spiritual excavation. Her work addresses the central theme of cosmic balance between light and darkness, spirit and matter. 

Heuser has had a yearlong exhibition at the Phillips Collection in Washington D.C. as well as participating in group shows there and at the Weatherspoon Museum, the Rhode Island School of Design Museum, the University Art Museum at Long Beach California and the Chazan Museum of Art. Her work has been exhibited internationally. Most recently at Space 776 in NYC presently her work is featured at the Phillips Collection Entrance Lobby (2023) and at the Chateau de Fernelmont in Belgium. Heuser participated in an exhibition with the Jamestown Arts Center in 2021 and in 2020 with Jason Jacques gallery in San Francisco (Fog Design +Art 2020), Odetta gallery in NYC amongst others. 
Her most recent solo exhibitions (2018 ) were at The UMass Dartmouth Gallery, MA and The Jamestown Art Center in RI (2016 ) Heuser’s work is in the permanent collection of The RISD Museum, Providence RI, The Weatherspoon Museum, Greensboro, NC, The Hammer Museum Los Angeles, CA, and The Phillips Collection, Washington D.C.. Other collections, amongst others, include the American Embassy in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the Leeds Foundation Philadelphia, PA, and the Werner Kramarsky Collection NYC. Heuser’s work has been featured in publications including, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, Art New England, Artscope, The Boston Herald, La Libre Magazine, Le Soir and the Washington Post.

http://www.tayoheuser.com




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