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Imara Regis

Listen to Smi Baby

Smi Baby 

Mixed media 

2024 

A painting on a green background of green glasses and hands and mouth of a person of color pulling the lips back to reveal a smile with grills.

Inspired by Smino, an alternative hip-hop artist, Smi Baby encapsulates important concepts of the Black aesthetic and hip-hop culture. I chose to only focus on certain components instead of painting an entire face to accentuate beautiful Black features, such as big lips, Africentric noses, textured hair, and hair accessories like ballies. With acrylic paint, I was able to create vibrancy that symbolizes the liveliness of hip-hop. With the rhinestones, I was able to bring in texture that highlights the importance of grillz—a form of self-expression, wealth, status, and what was originally a pushback on the mental and dental damages of slavery. 

Imara Regis, a Saint Lucian-American artist from Columbus, Ohio, celebrates Black beauty and identity through bold oil and acrylic paintings. Her vivid work merges Afrofuturism with ancestral wisdom. With an Arts Management background, she empowers young artists while creating portals between cultural heritage and futuristic vision.