Kenya Parry Josiah’s folk-inspired artworks create a joyful space for Black women

“Black women are creative, bold and I believe that our influence is hugely underestimated in wider society.” These are the words of artist Kenya Parry Josiah, and it’s for this very reason that she uses her vibrant, energetic paintings to “celebrate” Black women. Paying care and attention to each character she creates, and giving them all a unique personality, Kenya hopes people are able to freely interpret her works. But, she also loves when individuals “see themselves as a subject in my artwork”.

Despite being passionate about art from a young age, Kenya lost her interest during her teenage years due to her school’s “restrictive” school curriculum. It was after meeting a Mexican artist while living in Barcelona at 20 that reignited her love; and when returning to London, she enrolled in a year-long ceramics course, before slowly transitioning into painting. Then, after studying for a degree in Spanish and spending a year in Mexico city, Kenya found herself further inspired, immersing herself in its vibrant scene. “I love Mexican art history, and how art is such a central part of their history and culture,” Kenya details. Working in the music industry for a few years, Kenya finally took the plunge – encouraged by her brother who told her to start posting her work on Instagram – and became a full-time artist in 2022.

Underscoring the movements and styles that inform her work, Kenya lands on a mixture of naïve and folk art. One of the first artists to inspire her work, and now one of Kenya’s favourites, is the Ukrainian painter Maria Prymachenko, whose vibrant use of bold block colours are reflected in Kenya’s work. Kenya also cites the Haitian painter Hector Hyppolite, known for his characterful painted portraits and the Brazilian artist Heitor dos Prazeres, a creator of vibrant, energetic scenes. “Just as other artistic movements, naïve and folk art often reflect deep societal or political matters in their work, but they are depicted in a way that is beautiful and light,” Kenya says. “I am yet to reflect such issues in my artwork, but I would say these artists and artistic movements have helped me refine my style.”

Alongside her characters – who are often dancing, running errands or relaxing with friends – a reappearing motif throughout Kenya’s artwork is food. Whether it’s a tabletop scene, with an inviting plate of chicken, plantain, rice and peas, or a market tabletop weighed down by juicy looking fruits, food is shown to be a way of bringing people together. Such attention to food comes from Kenya’s desire to soak in the scene: “Whenever I travel, the first place that I want to visit is a market. I am always engrossed by the infectious energy and excitement that you find in them.”

In her market scenes, Kenya perfectly captures this energy, the wide array of foods on offer, the friends bumping into one another, the sellers animatedly promoting their goods. For Kenya, such places also represent and reflect the intricacies of wider culture: “I find that in Black societies, markets are places where you can see and experience the beauty and diversity of Black culture, art and history.”

Other artworks of Kenya’s interact with personal moments, those that are close to the artist’s heart. One of her favourite pieces, Bar Sangria, shows five friends sitting round a table, a jug of sangria and plates of tapas between them. Explaining how there's not to be “any deep meaning by it”, Kenya instead loves the pieces for the joyful ease of the scene. “It’s simply my friends and I at an intimate bar in Portugal,” she reflects. “We spent the evening drinking jugs of sangria and catching up. It was such a lovely evening and is one of my favourite memories.” If you’re looking for a way to brighten your day, look no further than Kenya’s beautiful paintings.