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The Paintings of Keya Tama

Keya Tama is a South African artist who says he aims to "reunite old and new through contrasting yet unified iconography." Tama's talent for crafting interlocking creatures, either in the backgrounds of his paintings or in the form of murals, also recalls the work of M.C. Escher. Recently, the Los Angeles-based artist has also been collaborating with others in his pieces, such as the work with Caratoes at the jump.

Keya Tama is a South African artist who says he aims to “reunite old and new through contrasting yet unified iconography.” Tama’s talent for crafting interlocking creatures, either in the backgrounds of his paintings or in the form of murals, also recalls the work of M.C. Escher. Recently, the Los Angeles-based artist has also been collaborating with others in his pieces, such as the work with Caratoes below.

On his site, Tama often shares insight into the creation of the piece. The top work “was inspired by resistance and the necessity of embodying the shadow self.” While the one below “was inspired by the concept of adjustment versus expectation. It focuses on refining two competing compartmentalized sides of our interpersonal relationships with identity.”

See more from Tama below.

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