From his Webster Street studio in Oakland, artist Muzae Sesay creates his colorful works of art. Originally from Orange County, Sesay moved to the Bay Area in 2011 because he loved the creative culture and community here. "It was completely liberating. It made me feel free to be myself and develop as an artist the way I wanted to," he said. Sesay has been an artist for as long as he can recall. He distinctly remembers how his mother and aunt really encouraged him as a small child. "They would act shocked with amazement when I would show them scribbled drawings, then hang the piece up and call it a masterpiece," he said.
Sesay believes that receiving that type of acknowledgment and admiration from adults at such an early age really stuck with him and was an influence in his development as an artist. Though he said he is inspired by pretty much everything, the concepts he addresses in his own work deal with community, sociology, human interaction with spaces, fragmentation of memory, and home/domestic life. That is no big surprise, since Sesay studied sociology at San Francisco State. In fact, he feels most inspired by his community and friends. While he is not influenced by any artists in particular, he noted that he does look at a lot of art and is likely subconsciously influenced every day.