Marfa Invitational Open 2025
ABI SALAMI
Artist Submission
Welcome Wonderful Jurors!
Thank you for taking the time to review my submission for MARFA INVITATIONAL OPEN 2025. This page contains all the necessary materials for the curatorial review, including my artist bio, statement, a selection of recent works, and relevant links. I appreciate the opportunity to share my work with you and look forward to the possibility of participating in this year’s exhibition.
ARTIST BIO
Abi Salami is…
a self-taught artist who creates large-scale surrealist works that explore her experiences as a Nigerian immigrant and Black woman in the United States. Through the use of a personal visual lexicon made up of symbols, she explores topics such as sexuality, mental health and race.
She earned a Masters in Professional Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin and worked in Corporate America for almost a decade before committing to painting full-time.
Since then, Salami's artwork has graced the walls of esteemed institutions such as Montresso Art Foundation in Morocco, and Galerie Droste in Germany, C24 Gallery and Field Projects in New York City, Rele Gallery in Los Angeles and the Women’s Museum, the African American Museum of Art in Dallas, and Cris Worley Fine Arts in Dallas.
My artwork delves into the intricate layers of my experiences as a Nigerian immigrant and a Black woman in the United States.
I create works set within surreal dreamscapes, where the unabashed celebration of Black femininity takes center stage. As both the creator and guardian of these imagined realms, my works intimately reflect my personal narrative, ranging from triumphant and proud to cheeky and humorous, and at times addressing heavier, darker themes.
In a world where Black women's stories have often been silenced or told by others, I use my art to offer an authentic perspective, inviting viewers to respectfully witness the Black female form in its truest state—uninhibited by European beauty standards and free from the oppressive gaze of others. My work seeks to reveal the vast, untapped depth of the Black female experience while simultaneously embracing and honoring our shared humanity.
Through the bold exploration of my own journey and identity, I aim to create a space where the stories of Black women can be told, acknowledged, and celebrated, fostering a deeper understanding and connection with the diverse and powerful voices that define our collective experience.
ARTIST STATEMENT
CURRICULUM VITAE
b. 1986, Lagos, Nigeria
Education
2009 University of Texas at Austin (Masters in Professional Accounting)
2008 University of Texas at Austin (Bachelor of Business Administration)
Solo Exhibitions
2024, The Fiction of Control, Montresso Art Foundation, Marrakech, Morocco
2024, From Behind the Vine, Pencil on Paper Gallery, Dallas, Texas
2023, The Miseducation of Boys and Girls, Cris Worley Fine Arts, Dallas, Texas
2022, Indeterminate Space of the Imaginary, Band of Vices, Los Angeles, California
2022, Je Ne Regrette Rien/I Regret Nothing, Art Centre of Plano, Plano, Texas
2019, My Africa, Hearne Fine Art, Little Rock, Arkansas
2018, From the Whimsical Mind, Kanju Interiors, Dallas, Texas
Two-Person Exhibitions
2023, Impossible Things, C24 Gallery, New York, New York
2020, How Did We Get Here, Keep Contemporary, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Selected Curated Group Exhibitions
2024, Mami Wata Afrofuturism: 500 years back to the [Afro][F]uture, Houston Museum of African American Culture, curated by Christopher Blay, Houston, Texas
2023, It is true…I was created in you, Wright Art Collection, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
2023, Narrative as Reality, Martin museum of Art, Waco, Texas
2023, Nobody’s Appendage: Unapologetically Free. Rele Gallery, Los Angeles
2023, IN-DISCIPLINE: BLACKNESS, Montresso Art Foundation, Marrakech, Morocco
2022, Chronicles 5, Galerie Droste, Berlin, Germany
2022, The LIITA Effect, Curated by Daniel Sierra Dominguez and Bailey Souaid, West Hollywood, Los Angeles
2022, Black is Black: Invitational, Curated by John Spriggins, Tarrant County College, Arlington, Texas
2022, Hold Fast to Dreams, Curated by John Paul Hossley, Neighborhood Gallery, Dallas, Texas
2021, C11H17NO3, Curated by Terrell Tilford, Band of Vices, Los Angeles, California
2021, The First Last Chance, Curated by Jacob Rhodes, Dog Park, Brooklyn, New York
2021, Girls Are Gods Too, Online Group Exhibition, Curated by Jaelynn Wall, TheCurators
2021, Tellin' Our Own Story, Six-Woman Exhibition, Curated by John Paul Hossley, Dallas, Texas
2020, Women (Un)Silenced, Group Exhibition, Curated by Emily McEwan-Upright, Gallery 1202, Gilroy, California
2020, Our Faces Our Voices, Group Exhibition, Curated by Shauna Benoit, Fort Worth, Texas
2020, Conversing Layers, Three-person exhibition, Capital One Bank, Dallas Texas
2019, #UsToo - Phenomenal Women, Curated by Jennifer Cowley, African American Museum, Dallas,
Texas
Juried Group Exhibitions
2021, Moments Like This, Curated by Jessica Bingham, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL
2021, 2021 Juried Exhibition, Curated by Janice Bond Deputy Director of Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Fort Worth Community Arts Center, Fort Worth, TX
2021, When Words Fail, Curated by Grace Lang, Visionary Art Collective, Online Exhibition
2021, Who’s Going to Stop Me, Roxbury Arts Group, Roxbury, NY
2021, Show# 115, Online Group Exhibition, Curated by Kyle Hittmeier and Amanda Nedham, Field Projects, New York, New York
2021, American Experience, O’Hanlon Art Center, Curated by Lauren Palmor, Assistant Curator at Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, Online Exhibition
2019, 30th International Juried Exhibition, Part 2, Curated by Vernita Nemec, Viridian Artists Inc., New York, New York
2019, New Texas Talent XXVI, Curated by Caleb Bell, Craighead Green, Dallas, Texas
2019, Texas Vignette Art Fair, Curated by Leslie Moody Castro, The Women's Museum, Dallas, Texas
2018, Art at the Atrium, George A. Purefoy Municipal Center, Frisco, Texas
2018, Art on the Veranda, Fort Worth Community Arts Center, Fort Worth, Texas
2017, Judge Amber Given-Davis Art Exhibition, Dallas, Texas
Fairs
2024, Dallas Art Fair, Pencil on Paper Gallery
2023, PRIZM Art Fair
2023, 1:54 Art Fair, Montresso Art Foundation
2022, Seattle Art Fair, ZINC Contemporary
2022, 1:54 Art Fair, Montresso Art Foundation
2022, Dallas Art Fair, Cris Worley Gallery
2021, Affordable Art Fair, Gallery 1202
Press
Publications
2024, INDISCIPLINE BLACKNESS, Jardin Rouge Montresso Art Foundation
2023, “It is true, I was created in you”, An Exhibition and Benefit for Black Maternal Health, The Wright Art Collection
2023, Narrative As Reality Constructing an Identity, Selections from the Jessica and Klevin Beachum Family Collection
2022, The 20 Best Black Artists in North Texas, Darryl Ratcliff
2022, North Texas Artist Leaves The Business World For Painting, Local Profile, Pamela Petty
2022, Monique Long’s Curated Highlights from 1-54 New York 2022, Monique Long
2022, The Best Booths at 1-54 New York From Photographs to Black Merfolk to Postcolonial Abstractions, Maximiliano Duron
2022, Public Art Magazine, Mihye Kim
2021 Glasstire, 101 Black Visual Artists in Texas, Christopher Blay
2021 Dallas Observer, 6 Local Female Artists Tell Their Stories Through Art at {neighborhood} for Black History Month
2021 Authority Magazine, Abi Salami: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became an Artist
2020 Glasstire, Our Faces, Our Voices
2020 Fleur and Arbor, Q&A with Abi Salami
2020 Dallas Contemporary, Abi Salami in Conversation, Emily Edwards
2019 D Magazine, This Weekend in Dallas: Painter Abi Salami at The Other Art Fair, Natalie Gempel
2017 Prosper Press, Dallas-based Nigerian-American Artist Celebrates Her Roots Through Painting, Emma Polini
Television/Media
2023, IN-DISCIPLINE BLACKNESS 2MTV (Moroccan National News)
2021 NBC5 Tellin’ Our Own Story Feature by Deborah Ferguson
2019 KARK 4 Today Television Interview
2019 KTHV11 Television Interview
Collections
Montresso Art Foundation, Marrakech, Morocco, Permanent Collection
The 5M Collection, Wichita, Kansas, Private Collection
Norbert Simmons Foundation, Miami Florida, Private Collection
The Fletcher Collection, Atlanta, Georgia, Private Collection
Jessica and Kelvin Beachum Family Collection, Arizona, Private Collection
Grants and Awards
2021 Hopper Prize Winner
2021 Black Foundry Award
Aux Creative Fund 2021
Saatchi Art 2020 Rising Stars under 35 Class
New Voices Top 100 Artists Saatchi
Residencies
2025, Studio 88 Artist Residency, Chiang Mai, Thailand
2024, Jardin Rouge, Montresso Foundation, Marrakech, Morocco
2024, Valerie Gillespie Contemporary Artist Residency, Dallas, Texas
2023, Jardin Rouge, Montresso Foundation, Marrakech, Morocco
2023, AIR Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
2021, Fields Projects, Chelsea New York, New York
2021 Jardin Rouge, Montresso Foundation, Marrakech, Morocco
Public Art
2021, 29 Pieces Mural Installation, Guzick Elementary, Dallas, Texas
2020, Charon’s Token, Joule Hotel, Dallas, Texas
THE FICTION OF CONTROL (2024)
The Fiction of Control is a surreal exploration of the illusion of control, examining the delicate balance between autonomy and external forces that shape our lives. Created during my artist residency in Morocco between April 2023 and February 2024, this series reflects the influence of my time abroad—blending vibrant hues, symbolic elements, and dreamlike distortions to challenge perceptions of power, fate, and personal agency. Inspired by the rich cultural landscape of Morocco, the work navigates the tension between structure and chaos, inviting viewers to reconsider their own relationship with control.
OPULENT BLACK LILIES (2023-2024)
Opulent Black Lilies is a celebration of love, intimacy, and the complexities of African sapphic relationships, challenging societal perceptions of queer love within the African diaspora. This series explores themes of desire, connection, and the ways in which these relationships are both scrutinized and romanticized. Through a surreal and symbolic visual language, I aim to create a space where African queer love is honored, seen, and embraced with the same depth and opulence often reserved for heteronormative narratives. The works are lush, dreamlike, and deeply personal, inviting the viewer to engage with love beyond societal constraints.
THE MISEDUCATION OF BOYS AND GIRLS (2022-2023)
The Miseducation of Boys and Girls critiques the flawed narratives surrounding gender roles, particularly as shaped by colonial education, religion, and cultural expectations. This series investigates how these constructs inform our understanding of femininity and masculinity, often reinforcing restrictive and damaging ideals. Inspired by my experiences as a Nigerian immigrant and the lingering effects of colonial ideology, the work challenges viewers to question the deeply ingrained lessons society imposes on children. Through surreal, symbolic imagery, I highlight the ways in which these mis-educations manifest in adulthood, shaping identities, relationships, and self-worth.
SELECTED ARTWORK
Thank you for your consideration. I am looking forward to hearing from you. Please feel free to reach out if you have any additional/follow-up questions.
Email: info@abisalami.com