Artist Statement
Oronde Kairi (b. 1975) is a Philadelphia artist whose paintings of abstracted, graphically stylized figures are inspired by the street art of his youth and his experiences growing-up in the 80s. He focuses thematically on sports, jazz, poetry, pop culture, and the figure.
Kairi has exhibited internationally at the Art Palermo International Biennial, Palermo, Italy; Michael Jackson Tribute Exhibition, Bucharest, Romania; and Michael Jackson Exhibition, São Paulo, Brazil. He has shown nationally in Pennsylvania, New York, Arkansas, California, and Virginia, and has been awarded The Best Modern & Contemporary Artist, 2021 and Black Music City Philadelphia Grant, 2021. Kairi was featured in Guide to Investing in Art, “50 Artists to Invest In” and Made In Magazine.
His artwork is in the corporate collections of: Ogontz Avenue Revitalization Corporation, United Way of Chicago, and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Important private collections include: Patti Labelle, Lauryn Hill, Sandra Denton, and Jenice Armstrong. Kairi is represented by: The Art Collective Gallery, Rogers, AR; Art Hatch Gallery, Escondido, CA; and Urban Art Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, and he received his BFA in Illustration from the University of the Arts.
