Yasmin Ali

Yasmin Ali is a self taught painter, working primarily with oils. Her heavily textured, carved abstract paintings are inspired by natural systems — trees, water, wind, roots — their growth, resilience, and interconnected lives.

Her paintings begin without a fixed plan. Working in layers, each mark responds to the one before it, much like natural systems respond to time, pressure, and change. Through cutting, carving, and building the paint surface, Ali creates spaces where tension and calm exist together — where force gives way to stillness.

While the work references landscape, it is not representational. These are emotional and sensory translations of natural forces — and of inner landscapes as well.

Ali brings a background in music, singing, and community organizing to her practice, approaching each canvas as a kind of visual composition, with rhythm and pacing built into the surface itself.

She is returning to the art world after a hiatus, most recently exhibiting at the Barrington Art Festival in 2025. Prior to her hiatus, she was active in the Chicago arts community, with exhibitions and performances at the MCA and Mana Contemporary, and live performances featured on NPR's Worldview.

BA - University of Illinois, Chicago
Mozawa Arts Incubator, Chicago