Artist Statement

I tend to explore the expression of my own personal narrative and existential cerebral oddities; you are who you are because of where you’ve been and I often exaggerate my own perspective in order to deeply explore my inner world. An optimistic nihilist searching for the overlapping spaces that occur within the fabric of humanity—attempting to garner meaning and make sense of the pure chaos that exists within our universe. With the use of a highly saturated color palette, I fabricate surreal depictions with no anchor in space or time, exploring themes of love, mental illness, complexity, and compulsion. My endless search for paradise often brings me back to center, reminding me that what I've been seeking was within me the entire time. 


BIO

Aunj is a Painter, Muralist, and Grant Writer based in Tulsa, OK. Her creative work primarily centers around her lived experiences, spirituality, and self-preservation, with much inspiration being drawn from the lives of her loved ones, introspective contemplation, and the human condition. Aunj graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2018 and early in her career she exhibited at Oklahoma University, IAO Gallery, and her home University in Edmond. After her move back to Tulsa in 2019, she joined an all Black Artist's collective called Black Moon. Through her involvement with the collective, she has participated in group shows at TAC Gallery, Living Arts, the Gilcrease Museum, and the Philbrook Museum. At the Philbrook, Aunj was featured as the Lead Artist in the creation of the temporary 60-foot mural installation, "Time Travel" and her work, "Inseparable", was featured on the May 2021 cover of Tulsa People Magazine. In March 2022, she resigned from her role within the collective and has since been featured as a muralist for the Sunny Dayz Mural Festival, exhibited work at MAINSITE in Norman, been commissioned for a 75-foot mural, and served as Program Chair and Development Co-Chair for Sunny Dayz Inc.—an arts non-profit dedicated to empowering women and non-binary artists through the creation and advocacy of public art. As her career reaches forward, she is staying actively invested within the arts community of Oklahoma and she is optimistic that the art scene will continue to be more diverse and inclusive in the future.


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