Tanith Kartman

Creating and collecting art is such a human experience – connecting us with our ancestors, our present, and our future. Before we could speak, we could make.

I am a self-taught painter and graphic designer. While I have a background as a historian and educator, my journey towards identity inspired me to pursue the arts in my hometown of Kansas City.

My art is reflective of a trans/queer experience and the emotional exploration of the human condition. I reflect on how I can be both hyper-visible and deliberately invisible to so many people. It’s complex, filled to the brim with contradictions – known and unknown. I aim to capture the struggle and joy of living authentically with nuance in a world that demands manufactured authenticity and one-dimensionality. My visual works include acrylic and digital paints to create abstract works with a focus on color, texture, shape, and movement.