BLACK ART VIBES

08/21/2026

08/21/2026

MATTHEW EGUAVOEN
Nigerian, b. 1988

“It’s not that I don’t like it here”, (2025)

Acrylic and oil on canvas
27 1/5 x 23 1/5 in l 69 x 59 cm

“Sometimes the heart can appreciate where it is and still wonder where it belongs.”
- BLACK ART VIBES 🖤✨🎨

Art Courtesy of: ARTSY

Shared with appreciation for Matthew Eguavoen and his creative vision.

To learn more about Matthew Eguavoen and his work, visit his profile on ARTSY at: www.artsy.net

🎶 Music 🎤
Ruby Amanfu
“Hope This Helps Someone”

08/21/2026

08/21/2026

Jaden and Willow Smith are stepping into the world of anime from a different angle, helping create original stories inspired by African traditions and folklore. The siblings have partnered with N LITE, a Black-owned anime studio, serving as executive producers and voice actors on projects that aim to bring new cultural perspectives to the genre.

Jaden is attached to *Mfinda*, a Congo-inspired story where he voices the spirit warrior Kozo and contributes music to the project. Willow is working on *Webe: Spirit Detective*, a series influenced by Gullah Geechee horror and storytelling traditions. A manga prequel for *Mfinda* is expected through Kodansha in 2026, while release dates for the animated projects have not been announced.

The projects bring together artists from different backgrounds, including Japanese animation veterans and creators from the Black animation community. *Mfinda* is being directed by Gisaburo Sugii and Arthell Isom, with character design work from Shigeru Fujita, known for projects including *Pluto*.

For Jaden and Willow, these projects represent more than lending their names or voices. They are helping shape original worlds rooted in specific cultural histories, bringing Congolese and Gullah Geechee influences into a genre that continues to reach audiences around the world.

08/21/2026

For over a decade, I have journeyed into the heart of the Omo Valley, not just as a photographer, but as a friend and a guest. My relationship with these extraordinary tribes is built on years of returning to the same villages, sharing morning coffee in their huts, and watching families grow. It is a connection forged through shared laughter and mutual respect, where the camera is often the last thing to come out of the bag.

By staying in private mobile camps far from the tourist routes, I’ve had the privilege of immersing myself in their world, from witnessing timeless ceremonies to learning the deep wisdom they hold for living in harmony with the earth. To me, the Omo Valley is a living museum of artistry and resilience, and every portrait is a celebration of the enduring spirit and lifelong friendships I have found in this sacred corner of Ethiopia.

www.PiperMackayPhotography.com

08/20/2026

🎶 T H R O W N B A C K T H U R S D A Y 🎶

Celebrating Timeless Black Art and the Artists whose work continues inspiring people.

ANDREW NICHOLS
Brooklyn, New York

“Natural Woman Too”

Giclee Canvas

“There is nothing more timeless than a woman who knows the beauty of simply being herself.”
- BLACK ART VIBES 🖤✨🎨

Shared with appreciation for Andrew Nichols and his creative vision.

Art Courtesy of: Andrew Nichols Art

To learn more about Andrew Nichols and his work, visit: www.andrewnicholsart.com

🎶🎤 Music:
“Use Ta Be My Girl” - The O’Jays (1978)

08/19/2026

DAVID IKARD
Troutman, North Carolina, b. 1972

“NO CRYSTAL STAIR”

Painting Inspiration:

This painting was inspired by Langston Hughes famous poem “Mother to Son.”
This image in many ways speaks for itself but the viewer should pay special attention to how the background informs the mood and energy of the piece.
-Ikard Gallery

“ Life may not be a crystal stair, but every step carries the strength of those who climbed before us.”
- BLACK ART VIBES 🖤✨🎨

🎶🎤 Music:
Nina Simone
“To Be Young, Gifted and Black”

Shared with appreciation for David Ikard and his richly layered visual storytelling.

Artwork Courtesy of: Ikard Gallery

To learn more about David Ikard and his work, visit: www.ikardgallery.com

08/19/2026

Griffin, Georgia gave the world an artist most people never learned to name. 🎨 Dox Thrash was born there in 1893, the son of formerly enslaved parents, and he grew up to change how art gets made.

Working in a Philadelphia print shop in the 1930s, he helped invent the Carborundum mezzotint, a printmaking process that pulls rich, velvety blacks off a metal plate. Art schools still teach the technique today. ✊🏾

Funny how a Georgia sharecropper's kid can quietly reshape a whole craft and still get left out of the textbook.