2024-2025
Aragti Wadaag is a residency program by Soomaal House of Art designed to provide artists with a supportive environment to think, work, and develop their creative practices. Aragti Wadaag aims to amplify artists' voices within the Somali community and create more equitable experiences for Somali-American artists in the greater art community.
The 2024-2025 residency program has selected the following artists; Ekhlas Abdullahi (Nafyar), Muna Scekomar, Lokho Kotile and Waseem Ibrahim. Their residency will conclude with an exhibition in May 2025.
Nafyar
Nafyar is a Somali artist based in Minneapolis whose work focuses on excavating colonial histories and pasts. They are interested in post-colonial theory and media, particularly from Africa. They are inspired by Third World Cinema, anti-colonial literature, and Sufi poetry. They create large-scale oil paintings and drawings while working intuitively and meditatively to process the experiences that have shaped their existence. Their work contemplates their familial nomadic past while living in an imperial capitalistic present. They use reference images from colonial pasts and neocolonial futures/presents and combine them with the images that appear in their subconscious and familial photographs.
Muna Scekomar
Muna Scekomar is a dynamic storyteller whose artistic journey began in the realm of documentary storytelling. With a passion for capturing and sharing human experiences, Muna has dedicated her career to turning personal narratives into compelling visual and audio stories.
Beyond her work in documentary and audio storytelling, Muna is a gifted writer and spoken word artist. Her written and performed pieces have deepened her love for writing, allowing her to explore the nuances of language and emotion. This passion for words has naturally led her to new artistic frontiers, where she is now eager to combine her skills in drawing, animation, and audio storytelling.
Lokho Kotile
Lokho Kotile is an Oromo visual artist based in Minnesota. Her work embodies the essence of storytelling and the creation of vulnerability through art. She believes that “Creation is the act of love.” Through photography, poetry, film, animation, and illustration, Lokho expresses herself and brings her vision of the world to life.
Her art is deeply influenced by the theme of home and belonging, as well as her connection to her mother's land, Marsabit, Kenya. Nature plays a significant role in her work, shaping her perspective and artistic expression. Each project she undertakes aims to create feelings of reflection, encouraging viewers to ponder and enter an intuitive state of mind.
Waseem Ibrahim
Waseem Ibrahim grew up in Des Moines, Iowa, and moved to Minneapolis to further pursue filmmaking. With a background in commercial and fashion films, Waseem has worked as a crew member on several short films, honing skills in directing, cinematography, and editing. Now focusing on developing a distinctive style, Waseem aims to blend compelling narratives with striking visuals. This artistic journey reflects a deep passion for storytelling and a keen eye for detail. Waseem's main career goal is to direct a feature film for a major production company.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.