Born: 1996
Based in: New York City, Atlanta
Website: heywoodsgallery.com
Instagram: @amaniheywood
Biography
“My name is Amani Heywood, and I’m a Bronx-born Trinidadian artist.”
Amani found his way into fine art during the pandemic. “I was bored of playing Call of Duty, smoking. I needed a new outlet—something to challenge my mind and my problem-solving ability.” Without formal training, he taught himself by trying new materials, new tools, new ways of moving color across a surface. Every experiment became a small piece of the larger picture he was building.
Life itself—its struggles, obstacles, and unexpected turns—became the real foundation of his practice. “Through my art, I wish to show the everyday challenges of man through a visual representation. I feel like we all share the same, if not similar struggles. I want everyone to know they have a community. They are not alone.”
What keeps him working now is simple: the energy of seeing others create. “I love seeing other artists work. When I see them working, it makes me want to get up off my ass and work too. It’s like a friendly competition in my mind—why should I be sitting on the sidelines when I could be on the field?”
Artistic Practice
Amani’s work is raw, physical, and tactile. He started painting with coffee during the early days of his journey, then evolved into drywall compound, aerosol, spatulas, rags, sponges—whatever it took to move color across canvas. “I love getting my hands dirty and really getting down into the canvas. When the paint is covering my hands, I don’t see it as paint—I see it as color. I see it as red all over my hands, not paint all over my hands.”
He describes himself as an “abstract expressionist who doubles in the realm of graffiti style artwork,” pulling inspiration both from New York legends like Chito, NOXER, and JA, and from painters like Rothko, de Kooning, and Cy Twombly.
Themes of resilience, struggle, and shared humanity run through everything he makes. “We may be far and wide, but our struggles are all very similar. The feelings of tragedy, doom, ecstasy—we all share them.”
Certain symbols show up again and again: the swirling lines that echo his childhood dyslexia (“how I used to see words and letters as a child”), the flowers given to friends and family before it’s too late, and Buford—the character who represents humanity and gave him an entry point into the world of graffiti.
Notable Works & Exhibitions
Showing his work at the Bronx River Art Center in 2024 was a major moment for Amani. “Being born and raised in the Bronx and being recognized by an institution based in my neighborhood meant the world to me. It made me feel seen.”
Other recent exhibitions include “Human” at KIDSUPER Gallery in Brooklyn, and “Open Studio” at London Art Space. Each show is another chapter in his journey of building a visual language that speaks to everyone who’s ever felt both close and far from home at the same time.
Selected Exhibitions
- Chaos, Bronx River Art Center, Bronx, NY – December 2024
- Human, KIDSUPER Gallery, Brooklyn, NY – February 2025
- Open Studio, London Art Space, London, UK – February 2025
Links & Press
- Press Archive
- Publications: W Magazine, Artist Close Up, Canvas Rebel
In His Words
“Through my art, I want people to feel less alone. I want them to see that no matter where we are—across boroughs, borders, or backgrounds—our struggles are mirrors of each other.”
“I’m just trying to leave my mark before I’m gone.”
