Eilen Itzel Mena
Eilen Itzel Mena’s practice is a vibrant expression of Afro-diasporic spirituality, weaving personal introspection with deep ancestral and earthly connections.
Mena uses painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, installation, and performance to explore personal and collective memory, navigating the intertwined paths of grief, joy, and transformation.
“I’ve been thinking about my ancestors just as much as life in general and the potential that life brings. It’s made me aware of my own ongoingness and purpose in this world.”
– Eilen Itzel Mena
A central theme in Eilen Itzel Mena’s work is the cycle of life and death, expressed through natural motifs like flowers and landscapes. Her art intertwines these weighty themes with a playful, almost childlike aesthetic, offering a fresh perspective on traditional representations of trauma. By blending semi-representational and abstract forms, Mena crafts a visual language that reveals the profound emotional resonance of her symbols.
Mena’s use of vibrant colors suggests a multifaceted vision that reimagines reality and deepens our understanding of our interactions with ourselves, others, the earth, and the universe. Each stroke has a deliberate purpose, animating abstract and spiritual entities beyond the physical realm through vivid contoured lines.
“If there’s something I want people to walk away with when they see my art, it’s the oneness.”
– Eilen Itzel Mena
About the Artist
Eilen Itzel Mena is an Afro-Dominican American artist, writer, and community organizer originally from the South Bronx and now based in London, UK.
In 2017, Mena earned a BA in Fine Art from the USC Roski School of Art and Design. In June 2024, she completed her MFA in Painting at the UCL Slade School of Fine Art with distinction.
Mena’s recent solo exhibitions include In Bloom at Kira Streletzki in Berlin and the Slade MA/MFA Postgraduate Degree Shows in London. She has also participated in impressive group shows such as You Can Sit with Us in London, Threaded Together in Lakeville, and Inestable in Mexico City.
Mena has received numerous prestigious awards, including the Adrian Carruthers Studio Prize from ACME and the Terence Cuneo Prize from the Slade School of Fine Art. She also works as a Co-Director for Honey and Smoke, a global artist community and platform dedicated to exploring important contemporary themes through creative inquiry, education, interactive experiences, and digital content.
Artworks
-
Eilen Itzel Mena Feeling Green (2023)
$1,000
Acrylic on paper monotype(h) 48 x (w) 38 cm
-
Eilen Itzel Mena Hibiscus (2023)
$1,000
Acrylic on paper monotype(h) 48 x (w) 38 cm
-
Eilen Itzel Mena In Waves (2023)
$1,000
Acrylic on paper monotype(h) 45 x (w) 35.5 cm
-
Eilen Itzel Mena The Buzzing Came then Directed Towards Sweetness (2024)
$9,000
Acrylic & oil on hessian(h) 200 x (w) 130 cm
Discover emerging artists
Latest Articles
Lygia Clark and Sonia Boyce at the Whitechapel Gallery: Play, Participation, and Cultural Dialogue
Lygia Clark: The I and the You and Sonia Boyce: An Awkward Relation at the Whitechapel Gallery embrace the ethos of collective engagement by exploring how participatory art transforms the relationship between artist, audience, and artwork. This bold curatorial pairing highlights shared themes of touch and play while bridging two distinct cultural and historical contexts. The exhibitions create a dialogue
Dakar Biennale 2024: The Wake of Identity and Transformation
The 15th Dakar Biennale, titled The Wake, showcases the work of 58 artists from Africa and its diaspora. With an immersive scenography, the exhibition spans diverse mediums—illustration, virtual reality, sculpture, sound art, and photography—emphasizing identity and transformation. Founded in 1989 by the Senegalese government, Dak’Art has become a key exhibition for African artists. This year’s theme, which explores exhumation, mourning,
Frank Auerbach, Pioneering Post-War Painter, Has Died at 93
Frank Auerbach has died at the age of 93. He is remembered in the art world as one of the most committed and unyielding painters of the post-war era. His seven-decade career stands as a testament to the transformative power of art—a force capable of transcending individual tragedy and uncovering universal truths. The Holocaust’s traumas had a profound effect on
Basquiat’s Iconic 1982 Work Set for Christie’s Evening Sale
With an estimated value between $20 million and $30 million, a standout 1982 work on paper by Jean-Michel Basquiat will be featured at Christie’s 21st Century Evening Sale. The piece portrays a classic Basquiat figure adorned with a laurel wreath. The consignor is Peter Brant, one of Basquiat’s major collectors. This large untitled piece, held privately since the early ’90s
Ralph Lemon at MoMA PS1: An Exploration of Movement and Memory
Ceremonies Out of the Air at MoMA PS1 by Ralph Lemon presents over sixty artworks from the past decade—spanning dance, video installations, drawings, sculptures, photographs, paintings, and live performances. Lemon engages with postmodern dance and storytelling, using the body as an archive to challenge conventional perspectives. Lemon’s movement-based works challenge formalist conventions and disrupt historical narratives, exploring how time and place
Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum at the Barbican: Exploring Colonialism and Identity through Cinematic Storytelling
It Will End in Tears at the Barbican presents a hauntingly immersive journey framed by minimalist “film sets” reminiscent of noir cinema. With influences from Hitchcock to Bessie Head, Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum’s visual storytelling delves into the complexities of identity, colonial legacies, and self-determination. Collaborating with set designer Remco Osório Lobato, Sunstrum creates minimalist, skeletal film sets with life-size wood grain
