Artist Bio

Oscar Joyo (b. 1992, Malawi) is a Chicago based contemporary artist whose work blends Afrofuturism and Afrosurrealism through vibrant portraiture, layered patterns, and bold color. After moving to the United States as a child, Joyo developed his artistic voice at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, where he studied life drawing. His paintings often feature dynamic figures surrounded by rhythmic geometric motifs that reflect both his Malawian heritage and a forward looking vision of identity and culture.

Working primarily in acrylic and mixed media, Joyo creates compositions that merge personal narrative, music, science fiction, and contemporary visual culture. Influenced by animation, anime, and his experience as an immigrant, his work explores themes of identity, transformation, and possibility. Through vivid color gradients and symbolic patterning, Joyo constructs portraits that celebrate cultural memory while imagining new futures for the Black diaspora.