Born in Montreal and raised in Los Angeles, Asari Aibangbee is a filmmaker and abstract artist who shines a spotlight on Black LGBT people in their work.
Aibangbee’s film projects include the experimental short To Be Black and Queer in San Francisco, which features Black Queer people occupying space in a city that doesn’t want them to succeed. In another short film titled OMWAN’EKHUI (Person of Dark Skin), Aibangbee offers a platform for Black artists with darker skin to speak about their lived experiences with racism and colorism.
For Aibangbee, filmmaking came first, finding purpose behind the camera. They started getting into visual art more seriously after taking up tufting during the COVID pandemic in 2021.
Being of Nigerian descent, Aibangbee draws inspiration from West African fashion and traditional textile making. They are drawn to the vibrancy and colors of these fabrics. Aibangbee is also inspired by traditional craft art from the continent, specifically from their tribe, the Edo Kingdom.
One of Aibangbee’s favorite pieces of their own is a tufted creation titled Summer of Saturn Return. This piece is extra special because it was made during Aibangbee’s first artist residency in Oakland, CA and they spent a lot of time with their chosen family while it was being created.
As an abstract artist, Aibangbee is fond of the fact that what one person sees when looking at their work is going to be different from what the next person sees. In that vein, Aibangbee hopes that their art will show people that there are so many different possibilities as to how we can be as human beings.
Written by
Ashley Obinwanne
About the Author:
Ashley Obinwanne is a writer and filmmaker who was born in New York and raised in Nigeria. She enjoys writing grounded, character-driven, dramas and dramedies about interconnected groups of people. Her recent works include the stage musical Better Off With You and the web series You Can't Stop the Beet, the latter of which was an official selection at Florence International Film Festival, Charlotte Black Film Festival, All The Laughs Comedy Awards, and Orlando Urban Film Festival in 2025. She resides in Los Angeles with her wife, and serves as the editor-in-chief of LesbiansOverEverything.Com
0 comments