Kali Sime is an ATX-born artist working predominantly on oil paintings and hand-painted clothing with a desire to expand to murals with a trusting collaborator. Their paintings focus on exploring the identity mostly as it’s related to the body under the constraints a western, capitalist society. Their clothes are much more abstract in exploring darker themes, with the focus being on upcycling clothing into wearable art.

Oil paint has a liveliness that makes it the best medium to bring the skin and flesh to life in my paintings. In a general sense, my work is heavily informed by my personal experiences and observations of how we experience the world in a physical vessel and is a response to the conditions we face because of it.

My current body of work is exploring identity as it is related to the physical body and what that means under western, patriarchal social conditioning. I believe acknowledging the past feelings of disembodiment in my work, while disturbing, allows space to reclaim my autonomy. Through depictions of body horror, I reflect on the dissociation & loss of trust with myself after experiencing abuse and exploitation that led me to reexamine my relationship to myself.

My work-in-progress series of oil paintings are connected through a loose figurative narrative in response to these auto-biographical events. I explore the dissociation & loss of trust within oneself after experiencing abuse and exploitation, both from individuals & entities under the blanket of capitalism. I believe acknowledging these feelings of disembodiment in my work, while disturbing, allows space to reclaim my autonomy.

I also hand-paint and sew clothes when I want to explore those feelings more abstractly while creating sustainable and wearable art, hoping to create a unique look for every garment that is reworked. All the clothes I have reworked or painted on has been second-hand attire that I want to give a fresh life to.

Message me to stop by my workspace / garage to see my current painting series that has yet to be shared.