Kaylani Brown (b. 1999) is a Black Nuyorican mixed-media artist, storyteller, and night-sky enthusiast based in Pittsburgh, PA. In 2021, they graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art with a BFA in General Fine Arts. Informed by the images of their Catholic upbringing, Kaylani’s work is littered with stars and mysticism. By emulating the warmth of a journal entry, magic, and the playful drawings they made as a child, Kaylani recounts snippets of their life on paper and in panels.

“My work reflects my personal history concerning love, the divine, and grand mystery. I am haunted by words and moved by fragmented poetry. Adoration is key to the work, whether I feel adored by my creation or it feels love radiating from me. To investigate reverence, I use verse and characters set in an enigmatic, dreamlike realm. I constantly draw people who are seeking - looking up, within, and at the viewer. They are searching for light, hope, or a call from somewhere beyond their understanding. The word love, in English, is full of definitions. I create paintings, illustrations, books, and zines to practice love in all of its forms. Through these tender acts of creation, I seek to unfold the secret puzzle of adoration.”