Bio
Expanding her visual arts practice from graphic design to painting, from abstraction to figurative work, and all the while keeping her love of language close whether in poetry or songwriting, Daphné Essiet embodies the multi-dimensionality crucial for any multi-disciplinary artist.
After graduating from university and taking on the corporate world, Essiet felt the pull of a feeling that’s guided her since she can remember. A gut feeling, inspiration, a muse—no perfect word exists for something bigger than what humans can explain, but that intuition is what pushed Essiet to become who she is today. Her prolific and adventurous nature has since birthed a range of creations and projects, from poetry recitations to public art displays, and music, paintings, and digital art, to a book of poetry.
Inspired by seeing herself reflected in poets like Maya Angelou and Nikki Giovanni, celebrating the beauty of Black womanhood and the power of self-belonging are themes Essiet centers to offer viewers the representation that was so crucial to her. An appreciation for identity and self-discovery permeates Essiet’s artwork, reflecting her own rich and expansive background as a Franco-Nigerian artist born in Los Angeles, raised in the South of France, and later moved to New York, where she spent 18 years.
Daphné Essiet currently resides and creates in Coral Springs, Florida.
Picture by Katarzyna Roman
Artist Statement
Whether with language, sound, or imagery, finding connections and complementary forms of expression feels like using my art to design a map for the human experience.
Inspired by the bright and lively works of artists like Alma Thomas, Hilma af Klint, Minnie Evans, and Beatriz Milhazes, I employ vibrant colors, repetition, and energetic patterns to mimic the balance between life’s simplicity and complexity. By infusing my imagery with a sense of joy and love, my work invites viewers to heal by connecting with those qualities in themselves. My abstract work was born of my own desire for harmony and healing meditative practices to manage chronic stress and the weight of institutional sexism and racism.
By moving between an inner focus on my experiences as a Black woman of rich ancestry and an outer focus on society at large, my art becomes a bridge to a place where viewers can find themselves. In my figurative work, I center womanhood and the beauty of black identity to offer the value of representation and the strength of self-belonging.
Ultimately, my art is an invitation to celebrate and cherish our humanity and the beauty of our beings.