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