Photo by Grace Roselli
Murjoni Merriweather
Winter of 2022
Murjoni Merriweather is a sculptor based in Baltimore, MD. Murjoni’s work serves as mirrors for the Black community as a way to celebrate African-American art, culture, and style. It’s also a way to see Black people in art and as art.
Graduating with a B.A. in Ceramics and Film from Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Murjoni uses clay to press firmly against European beauty standards by creating striking, life-size sculptures based on Black people and their lived experiences. Her work addresses and eliminates stereotypes through clay portraits. With this, she enjoys centering the beauty and nuances of Black life, and normalizing what is natural about Black bodies; loving and accepting them as they come. Through the artwork, connections and reflections with herself and others based on shared experiences, Murjoni plans to continue eliminating stereotypes and prejudices while uplifting the Black community.
Recently, Murjoni’s work has been honored with inclusion in “Shattered Glass”, a show presented in Los Angeles and Miami by Jeffery Deitch LA.
Click here to check out the artist conversation between the artists included in “Shattered Glass,” along with several collectors, at Art Basel 2021, where Merriweather was a participant. The De La Cruz Museum has also recently acquired several of her pieces.