Eliachi Kimaro

“As a mixed-race daughter of immigrants (Tanzanian & Korean) ~ and now a mother of a teenage daughter ~ I feel compelled to understand my place in this flow between cultural inheritance and legacy. Over the past 40 years, I have used writing, music, photography, film, storytelling, and now mixed media art to explore my personal and family narratives.

Everything I make starts on the page. Since I was 7, my daily writing practice has been the creative cornerstone of my life. Writing makes my subconscious conscious—it is my key to mining the stories I’ve inherited about who I am and where I come from. Then I head into my studio to make sense of these stories I’ve unearthed. The act of creating shows me where I stand in this flow between cultural inheritance and legacy.

Reflecting on the past two years, I have come to realize that making art is no longer an ‘if I have time’ matter. It has become as integral to my well-being as my daily writing practice. It is a must. It helps me repair and restore the parts of my soul that are beyond the reach of words.”