Bio
Merryn Omotayo Alaka (b. 1997, Indianapolis, Indiana) is a Nigerian and American artist who holds a BFA in printmaking from Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ. Alaka’s work spans from sculptural works, textiles, to jewelry design and explores realities and identities across the Black Diaspora and the Black female body. Her works often draw references from West African textiles, Yoruba beaded sculptures and forms of adornment. She uses culturally and historically significant materials such as hair, jewelry, beads, and textiles to do so. Alaka uses this range of materials to address subjective cultural and racial perspectives.
Omotayo Alaka has exhibited at institutions including the Tucson Museum of Art, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, and Mesa Contemporary Arts Center. Omotayo Alaka is the recipient of the 2022 Lehman Emerging Artist Grant from the Phoenix Art Museum. Merryn Omotayo Alaka currently lives and works as an Independent Curator and Artist in Phoenix, Arizona, her work is represented by Lisa Sette Gallery.
Artist Statement
My work is an exploration of collective memory and identity while examining and engaging the histories of the African diaspora and how they are preserved and passed down through cultural traditions. Working in mediums inspired by West African craft and Yoruba mythology and ritual practices, my work serves as a vessel chronicling Black experiences, memories, oral histories, and place of belonging. My work is structured though historical research, intergenerational oral traditions, and personal experience, concentrated on Black female subjectivity.