Muzae Sesay

b. 1989 Long Beach, California

Lives and works in Oakland, California 



Solo Exhibitions


2024

born on the earth., Tiwani Contemporary, London, UK (forthcoming) 


2023

The Breeze and I, Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles 

When We Were Here Last, Pt.2 Gallery, Oakland 


2022

Laguna Peralta, Eighteen Gallery, Copenhagen


2021

Multi-Purpose Room, Pt.2 Gallery, Oakland

Peacemaker, Public Gallery, London 

Mass Vax, The Cabin, Los Angeles 


2020

Cut Trees, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art,  San Francisco 

Freetown Veranda / The Purest Air I've Ever Known, Pt.2 Gallery, Oakland 


2019

Skeletons, Pt.2 Gallery, Oakland

Only You Know and I Know, I.M.A., San Francisco 


2018

Domestic Dive, Pt.2 Gallery, Oakland 


Group Exhibitions


2024

Arcadia and Elsewhere, James Cohan Gallery, New York 


2023

Bay Area Now 9, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco 

Crafting Radically, de Young Museum, San Francisco 

Group Shoe 3, House of Seiko, San Francisco 

Alicia McCarthy/Muzae Sesay, Pt.2 Gallery, Oakland

The Holographic Principle, Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles 

Creativity in the Golden State, Governor's Mansion, Sacramento 

Walk Against The Wind, Parker Gallery/Micki Meng, New York 

Pocket Universe, Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles

2022

Winter Group Show, Pt.2 Gallery, Oakland 

Night Painting, Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles 

V1XX, V1 Gallery, Copenhagen 

Collective Arising, Museum of Sonoma County, Santa Rosa 

Drawing With Scissors, Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco 

Chasing Phantoms, The Pit Gallery, Los Angeles 

Hues, Hannah Traore Gallery, New York 


2021

Wild Frontiers, The Pit Gallery, Los Angeles

Rites of Passage, Unit Gallery, London 

Californisme: Partie 2, Bim Bam Gallery, Paris 

Path of the Storm, SUNNY NY Gallery, New York 

Sites of Memory,  United Talent Agency: UTA Artist Space,  Los Angeles 

Flag Show, Delaplane Gallery, San Francisco 


2020

Personal Alchemy, San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, San Jose 

No Time Like The Present (online), Public Gallery, London 


2019

Secret Santa, Guerrero Gallery, San Francisco

October Group Show, Pt.2, Los Angeles 

Major Contemporary Works,  Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco

Celebrating Contemporary Black Artists, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Artists Gallery, San Francisco 

Forever, A Moment, SOMArts, San Francisco 


2018

FISK and Friends, FISK Gallery, Portland 

Alicia McCarthy,  V1 Gallery, Copenhagen 

Division of Labor, Minnesota Street Project, San Francisco 

Inscape/ Escape, Spaceship, New York 

House Plant, Swim Gallery, San Francisco 


2017

Paradigm Shift, Keane Eyes Gallery, San Francisco 

Call for Beauty, Root Division, San Francisco 

Confessions, Little Lodge Gallery, San Francisco 

Materialism, Layer Studios, Oakland 

Lil’ Swim, Luggage Store Gallery, San Francisco 

Keh-Meel-E-Yun, Pro Arts, Oakland 


2016

Winter Group Exhibition, Athen B. Gallery, Oakland 

6-Years at Incline Gallery, Incline Gallery, San Francisco 

Black Mail 2, Space236, San Francisco 

Four Years Later, Book and Job Gallery, San Francisco 

New Radius, Athen B Gallery, Oakland 

Obstacle, Merchants of Reality Gallery, San Francisco 

Swimmin’ in the Playground, Fifty24SF Gallery, San Francisco


2015

Out with a Bang, Book and Job Gallery, San Francisco 

Black Mail, Luggage Store Gallery, San Francisco 


Public Projects and Commissions 

SFMOMA x Oakland Roots Capsule Collaboration (forthcoming) 

Yerba Buena Island West Side Bridges, California (forthcoming)

Minna-Natoma Streetscape, San Francisco(forthcoming)

Lake Merritt, Black Structures, and Colorful Streets, 19th Street Uptown Station, Oakland 

Homecourt, Rainbow Recreation Center, Oakland 

I Love the Moon We Share, commissioned by Museum of African Diaspora, San Francisco 

Where Community Happens, commissioned by San Francisco Arts Commission, Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing


Residencies 

The Space Program, San Francisco (forthcoming)


Public Collections

City and County of San Francisco

de Young Museum - San Francisco, CA 

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art - San Francisco, CA 

Stanford Health Care Art Collection, Menlo Park, CA

Svane Family Foundation

Meta, Menlo Park, California


Bibliography


"An Oakland made of Legos." Alta Magazine. 2023, https://www.altaonline.com/culture/art/a45921762/muzae-sesay-oakland-murals-jessica-klein/


"When We Were Here Last: Muzae Sesay at pt.2" Variable West. 2023, https://variablewest.com/2023/07/10/muzae-sesay-vanessa-pw/


"Spotlight: Muzae Sesay." Platform Art. 2022, https://www.platformart.com/features/muzae-sesay-interview


"Muzae Sesay's Cut Tree's." San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. 2021, https://www.sfmoma.org/read/bay-area-walls-muzae-sesay/


"In The Artist's Studio-Muzae Sesay." Museum of the African Diaspora. Interview. January 11th, 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQmLEot_tYI&t=1516s 


"11 Influential California ArtistYou Haven't Heard Of." California.com, 2021, https://www.sfmoma.org/read/bay-area-walls-muzae-sesay/


"The Colorful Canvases of Muzae Sesay Tackle the Personal and the Political Through Paint." Elephant Art. 2021, https://elephant.art/the-colourful-canvases-of-muzae-sesay-tackle-the-personal-and-the-political-through-paint-26072021/


"Community, Friends Inspire Artist Muzae Sesay." Oakland Magazine. 2019, https://www.oaklandmagazine.com/community-friends-inspire-artist-muzae-sesay/


"Muzae Sesay: Living One Life." Juxtapoz Magazine. Volume 208 Winter 2019. Pg.142-151.


"Muzae Sesay." ARTMazeMag. Issue 10, 2018. Pg.136-137.


“Downtown Oakland's Athen B. Gallery Reopens as Part 2." East Bay Express (Cover Story). March 7th, 2018, https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/downtown-oaklands-athen-b-gallery-reopens-as-part-2/Content?oid=13905077


"Muzae Sesay's Domestic Dive: The Inaugural Exhibition at Pt.2 Gallery in Oakland." Juxtapoz. March 10th, 2018, https://www.juxtapoz.com/news/painting/muzae-sesay-s-domestic-dive-the-inaugural-exhibition-at-pt-2-gallery-in-oakland/


“The Artistic Benefits of Forgetfulness.” Vice/ Broadly. March6th, 2018, https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/evmwzp/rewina-beshue-muzae-sesay-artistic-benefits-of-forgetfulness


“Episode 28: Muzae Sesay.” The(art)scene. March 15th, 2018, http://www.artscenepc.com/episode-28-muzae-sesay/


“Episode 70” Kunstcapades. February 10th, 2018, https://soundcloud.com/kunstcapades/kc-episode-70


"Muzae Sesay: Thought Based on Theories." Juxatpoz. October 24th, 2017, https://www.juxtapoz.com/news/painting/muzae-sesay-thought-based-on-theories/


"Emerging Bay Area Artists Show Their Work in an Oakland Group Show." Juxtapoz. October 6th, 2017, https://www.juxtapoz.com/news/painting/emerging-bay-area-artists-show-their-work-in-an-oakland-group-show/


“Muzae Sesay.” Create! Magazine. September 25th, 2017, https://create-magazine.com/features/muzae-sesay


"'New Radius' at Athen B. Gallery, Oakland." Juxtapoz. July 9th, 2016, https://www.juxtapoz.com/news/painting/new-radius-athen-b-gallery-oakland/


“Four Artists Explore Two Different Branches of Abstract Art.” Vice/ Creators. July 8th, 2016, https://creators.vice.com/en_us/article/4xqmmp/four-abstract-artists-explore-two-opposing-branches


“The Black Mail Show: Helping ‘San Francisco Bring Black Back’.” SFWeekly. October 29th, 2015, https://archives.sfweekly.com/exhibitionist/2015/10/29/the-black-mail-show-helping-san-francisco-bring-black-back



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