Kiah prefers working with mixed media – incorporating acrylics, paper clippings, fabric, and foil into her pieces – giving her greater freedom of expression. Her works are highly influenced by old Hollywood imagery, foreign film, vintage family photos, art history, and everyday life in Brooklyn, as well as inspired by fine artists Gustav Klimt and William-Adolphe Bouguereau.

Stephanie Kiah, a Brooklyn-based fine artist and Norfolk State alumna, will have the opening of her first solo gallery art exhibition in a Brooklyn, NY gallery on Feb. 12. She is a 2009 NSU graduate with a B.A. in Fine Arts. The exhibition titled “On Earth & Above” will be on display from Feb. 12 through mid-April at the ARTs East NY Gallery.

The exhibit is comprised of mixed-media large and small scale paintings of angels and people, all of which are women. Kiah’s use of juxtaposition between the living and the heavenly illuminates the two worlds and the beauty that intertwines them both. Her art is the manifestation of her thoughts regarding such topics as femininity, racial identity, and values within American society. The figures she creates often carry a subtle air of mystery about them, creating an open-ended narrative that allows the personalities on the canvas to tell their own stories.

As a freshman at NSU, Kiah published her first limited edition print “In the Sanctuary” which was later featured on the set of a stage play at the 2008 National Black Arts Festival in Atlanta, GA. That same summer she served as an intern at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, VA. She also completed field studies at the Dallas Museum of Art and Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, Texas as well as the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC under NSU Professor Chinedu Okala.

Her works have been displayed in New York, DC, Virginia, Maryland, and Georgia, and are a part of private collections all across the United States. Some of her more notable collectors are actress Taraji P. Henson (Empire; Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man) and Charles Allen, son of Eugene Allen whose life inspired the movie The Butler. Her art was also exhibited in the historic Hampton University Museum and has been in the permanent collection of the Singletary Art Gallery & African Art Museum in Portsmouth, VA since 2008. In January 2015, her work was exhibited at the inauguration of New York State Sen. Jesse Hamilton.

About ARTs East New York:

ARTs East New York Inc. is committed to presenting and promoting multicultural arts to address socio-economic issues that hinder the growth and development of our community. Our innovative efforts foster entrepreneurs and cultural industries that generate jobs and income, reduce crime and recidivism, heighten the level of education and awareness around healthy and sustainable living, attract tourists to boost local economy and instill pride amongst residents. These initiatives improve livability and encourage economic development outcomes that have the potential to radically change the future of the neighborhood.