Nimah Gobir
As a Black, first generation American artist, Gobir’s work documents how she is constantly finding footing as she creates relationships and cultivates community. Whether it’s the way the light hits her partner in a sun-soaked room or her Nigerian mom holding her recently-born sister, Gobir creates portraits that draw on memories spanning decades. While her recent work presents past moments, they find new life as Gobir unravels and recontextualizes their impact on who she is today. Several of the paintings use embroidery thread and traditional craft techniques, drawing attention to the time spent handling each stitched work. The textured surfaces from the thread patterns convey tenderness and affection. This new series is inspired by the ephemeral feeling of home, safety, and belonging.
Bridgette Wilkerson writes: “Nimah’s artwork transcends space and reality by picking you up and placing you in a moment; a memory. Each piece in this collection is a captivating combination of precise brush strokes, soothing color palettes, and skillfully stitched thread; all weaved together to tell a familiar story— Perhaps a childhood memory long forgotten and playfully awakened, or the warmth of being loved by someone you care for. As a fellow young black girl, when I look at her work I see more than representation: I see a true mirror of my own experiences, familial roots, and childhood joy. Nimah’s tireless dedication to her work and developing her craft is a testament to her strength and creative abilities.”
Nimah Gobir (b. 1993 in Los Angeles, CA) is an artist and educator based in Oakland, California. Through paintings and installations, her work primarily explores the nuances and shared experiences of being Black. She draws on text and photo references collected from both family and personal archives. Gobir completed her undergraduate studies at Chapman University with a B.F.A. in Studio Art and B.A. in Peace Studies. She has an M.Ed from Harvard Graduate School of Education with a focus in Arts in Education. In 2020, she completed a fellowship with Emerging Artist Professionals SF-Bay Area. She has shown work at Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, SOMArts, The Growlery (San Francisco), Root Division (San Francisco) where she was awarded the Blau-Gold Studio/Teaching fellowship, and Johansson Projects (Oakland).
48hills “How Human We Are”: Nimah Gobir Expands the Space of Black Love | August 10, 2022
“Big influences come in small packages, sometimes. Painter Nimah Gobir’s first memories of art-making are of her dad creating two-page, hand drawn flipbooks. They usually brought to life things like a person walking or a butterfly flapping its wings, and Gobir remembers thinking that they were magical. She’s held onto that belief about the mystic powers of art ever since.” LINK
SF/Arts, “Sophie Treppendahl: Homebody & Nimah Gobir: Spools,” Mark Taylor, SF/Arts Curator | May 30, 2022
“Brightly colored wallpaper, a blanket made of crochet granny squares, post-dinner party mess, a bathroom sink cluttered with personal care products, sunlight bathing the uncleared breakfast dishes, a pile of open art books — the stuff of life. Sophie Treppendahl’s paintings capture the colorful existence of a shut-in trapped by the pandemic who has decided to focus on all that remains after so much has been stripped away. Her work pairs seamlessly with Nimah Gobir’s portraits, which have the snapshot feel of vivid memory. A couple reclining on an overstuffed sofa. Grandma proudly holding up a new baby. A girl in plaid school uniform smiling shyly. A man peacefully soaking in life with eyes closed.” LINK
Hyperallergic, “Enter the Universe of Black Womxn Artists in the Bay Area” | February 1, 2022
“When I heard that The Black Woman Is God was back on in person, I strapped on my mask and headed across the Bay Bridge to San Francisco. Now in its seventh year and its fifth iteration at SOMArts Cultural Center, this annual showcase of Black womxn visual artists is a staple of Black Bay Area culture…” LINK
Bad at Sports Podcast, “Samantha Reynolds, Nimah Gobir, Guta Galli and Katherine Vetne” | Oct 21, 2020
“This week Ryan & Brian chat with Samantha Reynolds, Nimah Gobir, Guta Galli and Katherine Vetne about Until it Shatters, an exhibition at Root Division in conjunction with the Feminist Art Coalition that opens this election day.” LINK
The Process Podcast, “Nimah Gobir on the nature of identity in art” | October, 2019
“Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Nimah Gobir creates art that explores her identity as a black woman. Through paintings and installations, her work teases out both the nuances and shared experiences of being black.” LINK
