These 16 Black Artists Are Must-Follows On Instagram

Fill your Instagram feed with the singular talents and personal expressions from these photographers, painters, sculptors and graphic artists. From Dallas to Paris, futuristic to founded in tradition, their works are sharing the stories that are important to them as Black artists in the design and art worlds.

Lynn Lucien | @lalucien
Lyne Lucien is an award-winning Haitian artist based in Brooklyn, New York. Working as an art director and illustrator, Lucien’s vibrant, graphic works have been published in The Atlantic, New York Magazine, and as Google Doodles.

Sonja Griffin Evans | @sonjagriffinevans
Lowcountry native Sonja Griffin Evans has always been inspired by her African American heritage and the culture of the Gullah Sea Islands. Her dedication to preserving their culture and history manifested Sonja’s passion for capturing the Gullah spirit through art. She masterfully depicts the deep history of Gullah Sea Island culture in her artwork with a keen use of vibrant color.

Avery Williamson | @aisforavery
A multidisciplinary artist primarily working in weaving, photography and drawing mediums, Avery Williamson’s work explores the narratives of black women in personal and institutional archives. In her own words, “Within the archive, women are defined by names, occupations or skin color. I return to particular images and remake them in glitter, cloth or color in order to free these figures from the historical narratives they’ve been embedded into.”

Karen J. Revis | @karenjrevis_studio
In the heart of Harlem, there is a studio with a vast array of tools and color owned by painter, printmaker, and papermaker Karen J Revis. She employs a variety of techniques including monotypes, lithographs, etchings, linoleum cuts, collagraphs, and papermaking to create her passion-filled works of art. With not one but two brands (KAREN J REVIS Studio and REVISionary Prints) Karen explores a vast array of art forms from visually dynamic, textural abstract works to explorations of her life experience growing up in an all-Black community in the ’60s.

Melarie Odelusi | @melarieodelusi
Melarie Odelusi is an artist working out of Dallas, Texas, specializing in illustration and lettering, whose work celebrates empowerment and storytelling. Her art embodies modern edge, feminine hues and intentional lines that capture and convey the elegance and strength of women in solidarity.

Robert Peterson | @caleblee81
Contemporary artist Robert Peterson emerged as one of the country’s most celebrated artists after picking up a paintbrush in 2012. This Oklahoma native was named the 2016 “Artist of the Year for Southwestern Oklahoma” by the Oklahoma Arts Council, making history as the first African-American to hold that title in the state’s history. His figurative work (primarily portraits) exudes dynamic shading and coloring.

Afritina Coker | @afritina 
Based out of Dallas TX, Afritina is a photographer who specializes in art, fashion and commercial portraiture. “Her multifaceted approach to visual imagery effortlessly combines photography, styling, and set design to create interesting and meaningful portraits.”

Charly Palmer | @charlylpalmer
Charly Palmer studied art and design at the American Academy of Art and School of the Art Institute. As a graphic designer and illustrator, he ran a successful design studio with a Fortune 500 clientele. As an instructor, he has taught design, illustration, and painting at Spelman College. Today Palmer resides in Atlanta, Georgia, recognized as a fine artist, a muralist, illustrator of children’s books, teacher, graphic designer, and mentor.

Arya Haliba | @arya_ha
A stylist and digital collage artist based out of Paris, Arya Haliba creates intricate works inspired by silhouettes from runways, nature and music. Her work is also rooted in activism, as she explores the issues of representations of beauty and Black masculinity in the art and fashion industries.

Glenyse Thompson | @glenyse
Inspired by the spirit of human interaction and interconnectedness, abstract artist Glenyse Thompson wields her talent to “find beauty in the simplicity of hearing others.” Her meaningful creations display the fluidity of social interplay and the lasting impressions they leave us with. Her prominent backdrops represent individuals, while hand-drawn lines of white and gold display the flow and ebb of our interactions as social beings.

Aize Muhammed Paul Esq. | @zpxnso
A leading man in the fashion industry and now an equally talented artist and photographer, Aize Muhammed Paul Esq. has paved his way in the art and design world. From Roberto Cavalli to Taibo Barca, Aize has had the opportunity to be the stylist for massive and small brands alike. Segueing into photography, he recently debuted his exhibition “Frozen Choices, Sacred Space” which was showcased at the 1952 Moneda Gallery in Lagos, Nigeria.

Erica Michele | @ericamichele.art
Abstract and figurative painter Erica Michele uses her creative talents as a method of healing and wellness. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, this artist can make one feel by echoing her own lived experiences through her art with unabashed vulnerability and strength. Deep textures and unconfined shapes expose the intensity behind her artwork.

Heather Polk | @artcuresall
Abstract collage artist and painter Heather Polk established Art C.U.R.E.S All as an act of self-care and creative expression. The acronym “CURES” stands for Creativity Unleashed Rewards Every Soul.

Lisa Hunt | @creativehunt
Visual artist Lisa Hunt encourages you to find kinship and connection through her artwork. She shares the creative inspiration of her youth that ties into her evolving artwork in the present; influencing collage work markedly inspired by traditional African American quilt-making.

Hadiya Williams | @hadiyawilliams
Hadiya Williams embodies the richness of the African diasporic consciousness in her timeless creations. Born and raised in Washington D.C., Williams has spent her life at the epicenter of cultural flux. Her ability to transform these experiences into bold, original art pieces that trace and carry the lineage of spirited Black culture is mesmerizing.

Renee Cox | @reneecoxstudio
Renee Cox is a photographer, artist, lecturer, and political activist who lives in New York and was born in Jamaica. She is a specialist in film and digital portraiture, using light, form, digital technology, and her own signature style to capture the identities and beauty within her subjects. She is recognized as one of the most important African American artists working today to celebrate Black womanhood.

Check back with aspire weekly for more Black artists, makers, and brands to keep on your radar.

Like what you see? Get it first with a subscription to aspire design and home magazine.

aspire design and home is seeker and storyteller of the sublime in living. It is a global guide to in-depth and varied views of beauty and shelter that stirs imagination; that delights and inspires homeowners as well as art and design doyens. Collaborating with emergent and eminent architects, artisans, designers, developers and tastemakers, aspire creates captivating content that savors the subjects and transports with stunning imagery and clever, thought-provoking writing. Through lush and unique visuals and a fresh editorial lens, aspire explores what is new and undiscovered in art, interiors, design, culture, real estate, travel and more. aspire design and home is an international narrative and resource for all seeking the sublime.