CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte artist with high hopes of having his work in a museum one day is achieving that goal for the second time at the age of 21.
The artist, who goes by the name $oho, has been creating art his whole life, but only started to pursue it full time in the last few years. In that time, he's found success in the Queen City, a community $oho found has supported him and helped him grow.
Last year, he had his work featured at Mint Museum Uptown as part of the Local/Street 2023 exhibit.
"That was my first experience like that," $oho said. "I set that as being in a museum as a long-term goal, and I ended up getting that my first full year as a professional artist."
He calls the piece he created for the exhibit "a love letter to Charlotte." It features references to iconic, locally-based businesses like Bojangles and features rap lyrics from Charlotte artists.
"I don't know what I would do if I wasn't from here," he said. "Who would I be?"
He's currently a student at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) in Durham, but is pursuing art in Charlotte.
About a year and a half ago, he visited BlkMrktClt's studio space at Camp North End. He said in the time since he first visited, the artists that make up BlkMrktClt have served as mentors to him. He credits the other artists with helping to bring him out of his shell and push his creative vision. In December, he was one of over 50 Charlotte-area artists featured in BlkMrktClt's Hunnid Dollar Art Fair.
"My whole life, I kind of struggled to find where I click at," $oho said. "I've spent a majority of my time alone, and had a couple of friends here and there. But a full place I fit in was always a struggle. This is the first place I feel fully accepted."
He said he can see how much he's grown as an artist in just the last few years. He said he considers himself an Afro-Surrealist, making stories with his art that people can connect with -- often about growing up in the South. He often uses vibrant colors throughout his paintings, and specifically uses colors like red, blue and green when painting skin.
"I see this as a very bright city and I'm drawing the colors," he said. "I do different colors for skin because as Black people we're the 'colored people,' so I like to express it through that way."
He said being a part of the effort to push representation of Black artists to the forefront of Charlotte's art scene is a full circle moment. He graduated high school in 2020, and remembered being inspired by the multi-artist collaboration of the Black Lives Matter mural in the streets of Uptown Charlotte.
"That inspired me to push even harder," $oho said. "Then as I was pushing, I was like, 'I actually like really love this. Why not make a career out of this?' And then I come here and get accepted into open arms from the people that are inspiring me and then we just made that connection. So full circle."
That full circle moment keeps expanding for him. Just last month, he collaborated with Charlotte FC to celebrate Black History Month. He said it all felt normal when he was working on art in a dorm room at NCCU -- until he walked into the Charlotte FC practice facility to deliver the work. Then the gravity of the experience hit him.
Now, he's achieving his dream of being in a museum for the second time. He'll have work featured at the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture on Friday, March 22, from 6 until 10 p.m. as part of the "Art After Dark: Southern Digital" collection.
With college graduation in sight and his long-term goal achieved twice over, $oho now needs to create a new list of goals to strive for next. One thing is for sure: He wants to pay it forward and empower young artists in the community.
"I'm so blessed and highly favored to get opportunities like this," he said. "To have people that believe in me and my ability. How can I not share that for the next person?"
Contact Emma Korynta at ekorynta@wcnc.com and follow her on X.