Today on the blog, I wanted to share a recent feature with AphroChic. Here's a quick excerpt: 

Amira Rahim‘s work is incredibly evocative. Her eye-catching paintings take you inside a colorful world, where vibrant hues literally jump off the canvas. Recently showing work in Abu Dhabi and LA’s popular Fig House, the New Jersey native is dedicated to her mission – making the world a more colorful place, one painting at a time. We spoke with Amira about the inspiration for her bold, abstract pieces.

You’ve lived in Texas and Abu Dhabi but were born and raised in Newark, New Jersey. Can you discuss these three very distinct places in relation to your work, and which is the place you call home?

I grew up in Newark, New Jersey, which is home to many creative and artistic legends including Whitney Houston, Queen Latifah, and Sara Vaughn. Some of my earliest childhood memories include going to theNewark Museum for art classes and activities as a child. There was always something buzzing, like a concert or a show. It’s a city with great problems but great energy too. I think it definitely shaped me as a woman and a human being. My outlook on issues like poverty, public health, and much of how I move through life came from this city.

My high school, Science High, was very diverse. I had so many Portuguese and Spanish-speaking classmates for the first time and I was that annoying kid who would always ask people where they were from after the first 5 minutes into a conversation. So I guess you could say growing up in Newark, New Jersey made me curious and unafraid of seeing what was outside of the city borders. I later traveled to Brazil and then Europe, and recently, lived in Abu Dhabi, the place that sparked the birth of my art practice as I know it today.

Read the full interview here.