10.10.21

Mohamed Hersi's annual art exhibition titled "10.10" has been officially been confirmed. Due to the pandemic along with several brutally life changing events, he was forced to abandon creating art. Apart from the first few years in his career both as a painter and designer, Mohamed was secretly battling an addiction to drugs and alcohol. His addiction to pain pills began right after he tore his ACL and had to under-go a meniscus surgery. The pain management and physical therapy facility he was referred to by his doctor after the surgery prescribed him to 15mg Oxycodone 3x a day. Prior to his knee surgery, Mohamed never fancied drugs or alcohol, never tempted and didn’t gravitate towards that life. The aftermath and what ensued from the daily consumption of Oxycodone for 6-months was catastrophic, his life dissolved to nothing.

On April 2018, Mohamed nearly lost his life from a drug overdose. Leading up to that day his life was filled with suffering and a never-ending calamity. Looking back, the turmoil was not only heartbreaking but also a very long and slow one. Between having to gradually lose everything and nothing or no-one to turn to after the near-death experience, he had no where else to turn to except rehab. He has gained control of his life and is now 3yrs and 4 months sober.

Coming back to the canvas and picking up a paint brush was very heavy for him, it took him 2yrs to mentally recover and restore the chemical imbalance caused from all of the years spent addicted to pain pills. Clouded from the drug abuse, to even recollect his life prior to his addiction wasn’t possible. Approximately 2yrs after his recover he started getting flashbacks, he started to envision his life before that disease. Passionate, always curious, someone who cared more about people then himself, he would travel and find inspiration to paint out of love, not for money or recognition. The only way he would share his work again, if he could find a way to mentally go back and become the 19yr version of him-self.

Hosted every year since 2013', Mohamed displays a set of paintings subjected to mirror raw emotions derived from significant events in his life. Memorable moments; unfortunate family matter, a loss or even a victory. Emotions displayed on a canvas using paint, primarily intended to reference and mirror previously felt emotions. Bright colors such as red, yellow and orange mixed with a hint of black to symbolizing agony, pain or even struggle; in contrast cream/light colors to reference tranquility and hope.

Growing up in New Delhi, India, Mohamed was the only Somali kid in his neighborhood and that meant being fluent in Hindi was a must in order to communicate with the other kids. Despite being born in India, it was still very hard for him to learn Hindi. He remembers being attached to colors; at an early age latching on to the idea that painting could possibly be used to communicate with people. Naturally exposed to all of the bright colors from the Indian culture; temples, holidays like Holi (Festiva of colors) and etc. He was convinced that colors possessed the power to evoke natural emotions; after all he experienced how colors made him feel, bright colors meant happy and dark colors evoked sadness. Somehow, he thought what if those colors could be used to make a painting; one could possibly do more than just create an illustration. Perhaps you can do more than communcate, a message embedded with an emotion could possibly be used to channel through that painting.

Each and every painting from this year's “10.10” exhibit reveals a life, a journey and a personal tale.

Marking his 8th solo exhibition, he has spent nearly 18 months to meticulously assemble one of his best works yet, a show weaved with cryptic and surprising elements. The details used to create the promotional content all the way to the paintings displayed on the wall, practically the entire blueprint of the show from start to finish designed to create a buildup.

Triumph, struggle, heartbreak, fear, loss, uncertainty and lastly hope; element which left a mark. Those are the subject matters weaved in every piece of his paintings.

Intended to create a deep connection with his audience in order to convey a “Final” message, staged to perfection for an unforgettable binding conclusion.

With love, A drifter.