Artist Portfolio
As an artist, Zakia engages in the transformative healing practice of self reflection through self portraiture. Over the years, she has cultivated a ritual of introspection through her figurative art and the exploration of various mediums to express her evolving self-conception. This artistic practice has been instrumental in regulating her emotions and navigating the complexities of her experiences as a Black woman striving for liberation and justice. Through her art, Zakia finds grounding in her spirit and truth.
Zakia sees her art practice as inseparable from her movement work and commitment to building toward liberation. She draws inspiration from the work of Dr. Akasha Gloria Hull, who emphasizes the legitimate role of spirituality and creativity in socio-political struggle. In her book, Soul Talk: The New Spirituality of African American Women, Dr. Hull highlights three dimensions—politics, spirituality, and creativity—as critical practices intricately interwoven and necessary for truly effective social transformation and human revolution. This wisdom resonates deeply with Zakia, affirming her lifelong journey to integrate her wholeness into her lifestyle as a movement worker, artist, and spiritually-grounded, land-based being.
Zakia integrates these values in her work with Soil Generation, and is co-author and co-creator of Soul ReIntegration, a cohort program and curriculum guidebook inviting Black & Brown women and gender-expansive food and land stewards and organizers forwarding food, land, and climate justice into a portal of artistic self-exploration and healing. Within this curriculum, and throughout her work as a facilitator, Zakia shares her passion for self portraiture as a radical practice of self love and acceptance. She offers this tool to uproot the internalized capitalist pattern of perpetual striving for change, growth, and action—a mindset often embraced by many changemaking kinfolk—by encouraging stillness, vulnerability, and devotion through the creation of self-portraits.
She Came to Free Me 25” x 25” oil and acrylic on canvas 2024
The Terrain I've Traveled Triptych 9"x12" colored pencil and acrylic on black paper 2023
Nudes Series (I, II, III) 9" x 12" colored pencil on black paper 2022
Self-Portrait, 11" x 14", graphite on paper, 2021
Satisfaction (1) / There’s Joy Too (11) 9” x 6” watercolor on cold press paper 2020
Laid Bare 14” x 11” acrylic on canvas 2017
