“People of color have to live with the burden of past and present discriminations and injustices every day,” says artist Kohshin Finley. “The subjects I paint have only become stronger because of this burden, and have not become weakened by it.”
Finley’s contemporary portraiture was submitted to Artists Magazine’s Annual Art Competition. The raw power of his stark, emotional art paints a light on racial discrimination in the U.S.
From Conversations to Powerful Portraiture
As far as he can remember, Finley has been creating art. “Both of my parents had careers in fashion design,” he says, “so they always supported my creativity. I really caught on to painting when I was at Otis College of Art and Design and have been painting ever since.”
His art draws in conversations about the lives of people of color in the U.S., and how having certain experiences can play across a person’s face, in his or her demeanor. “My current visual art aesthetic revolves around the story I tell of people of color living in America today,” explains Finley.
Image: Two Brothers, In America by Kohshin Finley, oil and mixed media on canvas