Working with a love of natural dyes, earth pigments, soil-based paints, and handmade inks, my practice is rooted in the stories that materials of the earth hold. Wander through my world, where the plants, tea, coffee, soil, and time shape each creation.
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Wander through my studio practiceStudio Practice
My studio practice is interdisciplinary, curious, and experimental. I am inspired by plants, nature, and our living world. I find joy in using pigments of the earth through painting, working with flowers through natural dyes and installation work, creating art from ephemeral materials such as tea and coffee, writing gratitude poems to my plant allies, and learning from my plant guides. My use of tea stems back to my childhood, where I grew up surrounded by numerous tea ceremonies and storytelling with visitors over tea.
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ShopAbenaart Shop
Natural dyes | Earth Pigments | Paintings
(Available online seasonally and at select vending events)
Abenaart Shop offers small-batch, nature-inspired creations. From naturally dyed bandanas, table runners, and scarves, to handcrafted natural paints, inks, and pigment paintings. Each piece reflects the beauty of being in relationship with the earth.
With an intentionally slow and seasonal approach, the shop opens for limited periods throughout the year - Spring (April) and Fall (November). Subscribe to my newsletter for updates on upcoming releases!
About Abena Motaboli...
Abena Motaboli (she/her) is a Basotho-Ghanaian interdisciplinary artist, educator, natural dyer, and writer based in Chicago - on the unceded territories of the Three Fires Confederacy: Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi.
Born and raised in Lesotho, a landlocked country in Southern Africa, before moving to the U.S., she obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Columbia College Chicago and studied at L'Institut Catholique de Paris in France. With a deep commitment to social and environmental justice, her work explores belonging, interconnectedness, and material histories. Rooted in the philosophy of Ubuntu, she investigates our shared connection to land, each other, and the places we call home.
Through intuitive and restorative processes, Motaboli revives earth pigments and naturally dyed fibers, engaging in a dialogue with soil, plants, and rocks. Her research work seeks to bridge a connection between here home and where she is currently based in the U.S.
Through installation, abstract works, or vibrant mural pieces, she creates spaces for reflection, deep listening, and belonging. Motaboli has exhibited at Heaven Gallery Chicago, The Bhavan Gallery London, Woman Made Gallery, The Other Art Fair Chicago, SOFA Chicago, and Aqua Art Miami. Her work is also in private collections across the U.S. Her poetry has been published in Northeastern Illinois University’s SEEDS Literary and Visual Arts Journal.
Guided by reciprocity and care for the land, she continues to foster communal spaces that celebrate sustainable practices, pigment traditions, and land-based storytelling.
Bio Image above & banner image at the top of the page were taken in the Midwestern Prairie by Atoi Glennette
Prairie Red - a short Film
This short Film was shot by @renavision & I on a beautiful extended Fall day near one of my favorite spots by the water 🌊 these waters that have seen me process everything, from mending my heart to utter happiness, to - just process. These waters offer me moments of play, spontaneity, delight, solace, space, moments … 🤍
❤️ Prairie Red ❤️
The blades of grass dance on my skin,
They whisper to me with the calm of an evening by the water.
The air warm,
Thick with promise,
Thick with the end of the summer
Thick with the passage of time -
Shifting seasons
Shifting transitions
Transitions.
Transitions
Shedding old skins
Making space for the new
Transitions and movement
Movement and moving -
through grief, laughter, joy, spontaneity, reconnection with self - with self and others.
Healing -
And land.
And
Landing -
And constantly
Landing.
These prairie blades whisper love notes to my soul.
Embracing my thoughts in the sun,
As if to say here we are.
Dance with me
And release what needs to be released.
Prairie red ❤️
You, are.
Beautiful
🌾🌾🌾