Dai Williams

Artist Statement:

My piece is inspired by the West African folktale Anansi and his Sons and Yumboes, the folklore of African fairies. I retold this story told to celebrate Kwanzaa with my ghost as Yumboes to represent the six sons and their desire for the moon. Yumboes are part of the Wolof folklore of Senegal, my ghost are a reflection of the small creatures that are known to have fair and silver features that come out to dance in the moonlight.

Bio:

I’m an illustrator, designer, printer, and street artist from Cincinnati working under my alter ego Soft Ghost. The graphic, minimalistic ghost is a cartoon reflection of me and how the climate of the world affects me as a queer person of color working as an artist in the city. Rather than setting limitations on what I want for this character can do, I let life decide. Working from a stream of consciousness, doodling is the main process of guiding myself through my current body of work, using a wide range of mediums, materials and configurations.