Eyenga Bokamba

How and why did you become an artist?

I became an artist through a confluence of desire to create and a pull to manifest beauty. I’ve identified as an artist since childhood. 

What medium(s) do you work in?

I work primarily on canvas, paper and fabric. I create multimodal abstract paintings and sculptural interventions.

How long have you been working as an artist?

I have been working as an artist since 2007. 

What are some of your biggest inspirations as an artist?

My greatest desire is to create work that pivots on an axis of understanding and advances our collective consciousness about what it means to be alive, thriving, and empathetic in today’s world. I see my artistic production as a union between Abstract Expressionism and the critical pedagogy of installation art.

What is your connection to Northeast Minneapolis?

I have worked in Northeast Minneapolis since 2009, with studios in the Carriage House at Casket Arts and currently at the California Building, where I have been since 2017.

How does Art-A-Whirl benefit you as an artist?

I love people! Art-A-Whirl is the greatest gift to an extrovert who works in an introverted capacity….it is a chance to share my story, my process and gain feedback that is critical to my journey as a maker. 

Any stories or memories of an experience at Art-A-Whirl that stands out?

I just love thinking about how many families I see year over year, with young ones who remember my early work; some of these young ones are now adults who collect my work and bring their friends. This is the amazing truth about the privilege of being an artist grounded in a specific community, day after day, year over year: getting the opportunity to pass time with people as invested in the arts community as I am. 

What has being a NEMAA member meant to you? What do you value most about membership?

I love NEMAA! The Art-A-Whirl catalogue! The opportunity to mix and mingle! The announcements about residencies! I could go on and on. Thank you NEMAA!!

What do you wish more people knew about the arts scene in Northeast Minneapolis?

We are here, living and thriving, working and evolving as professionals. 

Art-A-Whirl and NEMAA turn 30 years old in 2025. Can you believe it? What changes have you witnessed?

I’ve witness a huge growth in attendance, I’ve witnessed a deep commitment from the NE arts community infrastructure; I’ve seen the ways we have learned how to support each other, year over year, artist to artist. It’s amazing! 

Why is art important in our community?

Art saves us from despair, keeps us productive, focused, hopeful, and perhaps is the best vehicle to be, as one of my painting series is named: “adjacent to happiness.” 

Can you imagine a world WITHOUT the arts community in Northeast Minneapolis? How would the community be different?

This is not the world I want to see. It would for sure be a lot less interesting, a lot less colorful. 

What are your hopes and dreams for Art-A-Whirl, NEMAA, and/or the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District in the next 30 years?

A deepening of economic security for neighborhoods that guarantees access to the arts as an indicator of the highest quality of life possible. 

If you could make one change in Northeast Minneapolis, no matter the cost, what would it be?

Create more linkages between working artists and all schools. 

Tell us again why you love being an artist and what your work brings to the community.

I love having the opportunity to create, every day; literally, to reframe challenge into possibility.