born and raised in northern California, aala began experimenting with art at a young age. she pursued a degree in psychology at CSULA before venturing into her original passion of visual art professionally. primarily self taught, in 2019 aala attended California College of the Arts in San Francisco on scholarship prior to the covid-19 pandemic, which led her to an untimely leave of absence, which allowed her to take her practice into her own hands.
since then, she has spent her active twenties between the Bay Area and Los Angeles making work and building community. having found a calling to expand her practice, aala has uprooted her west coast lifestyle and moved to New York City, which has been a springboard for international residencies and exhibitions for her. she has exhibited namely in Paris, London, and Colombia. oni is now based in New York City, practicing out of her Brooklyn studio.
prints and design work available
my name is aala oni, and i am a Black-Indigenous multi-disciplinary artist. my work explores the intricate nuances of the interconnected experiences of presence and physicality, delving into the interplay between abstraction and dissociation. through my art, i engage in a dialogue centered on Black femme identity, sexuality, and the power of ritual, examining how these elements intertwine to shape our understanding of self and society. my artistic approach is grounded in the exploration of human experience through a lens that critically examines the intersecting realms of psychology, society, and politics. by utilizing large mixed media works, compound visceral sculpture, and ritual performance pieces, i aim to amplify the often-overlooked narratives that shape our collective consciousness. in my mixed media pieces, I integrate a variety of materials and techniques to create immersive environments that invite viewers to engage deeply with my content and context. these works serve as a container for socio-political commentary, weaving together visual imagery, text, and found objects to reflect the complexities of contemporary society from my perspective.
