Born: 1999, Brooklyn, New York
Based in: Brooklyn, New York
Instagram: @ojihaynes
Biography
Oji Haynes never set out to become an artist — it happened quietly, without ceremony, during a time in his life when he didn’t know what else to do. “I think God always has a funny way of moving like that,” he says. What followed was a self-taught education in material instinct, improvisation, and creative defiance.
He describes himself as an MFA graduate from “YouTube University.” Every technique he’s learned, every process he’s tested, has been fueled by watching, trying, and trusting his own taste. He studied artists he resonated with and built his visual vocabulary from scratch. “Still do, honestly,” he says. Every day remains a challenge, but his direction is rooted in freedom. “Knowing that I can do whatever I want — that’s what motivates me.”
Artistic Practice
Haynes works with scavenged material and everyday textures: duct tape, dollar store objects, money, hot sauce, wooden furniture, mirrors, hair. He gravitates toward things that are used up but still carry life. Chairs. Bed frames. Scraps. “I’m just trynna revive it a bit,” he says.
The result is part shrine, part structure, part abstraction — a style he likens to “if John Coltrane, one of those sellers on 125th street that be selling incense, DVDs, and shea butter, and Robert Rauschenberg had a baby… mixed with a bad ass kid riding his bike with no shirt doing reckless and destructive shit.”
His work centers the innate creativity in Black life — how Black people shape, stretch, and elevate everything we touch. “I’m just trynna emulate that intuitive creativity,” he says. There’s a recurring refusal to polish anything too much. If something leans funny, falls wrong, or sits out of balance, he lets it. That’s where the feeling lives.
Exhibitions & Projects
Haynes recently held a solo exhibition at Long Gallery, curated by Diallo Simon-Ponte. Two key works — Happy Family (2022) and Scriptures (2024) — marked major personal breakthroughs. “The making of Happy Family gave me a lot of mental confidence,” he says. Scriptures, by contrast, taught him the value of play and letting go. Both works reshaped how he sees his practice moving forward.
He’s currently preparing for a group show in Switzerland and another in upstate New York. As his language evolves, the core remains: listen to instinct, stay loose, and move toward what pulls.
Artist Statement
sometimes i just put things together to see if they get along.
you know, not everything has to make sense.
some things just need to feel right.
i want the work to feel like dust moving through sunlight.
to smell like chicken wings & pork fried rice.
to sound like the proud family theme song.
taste like the first sip of ginger ale.
i like when something’s a little off.
leaning too far.
sitting funny.
talking without saying anything.
i like when a space holds a memory,
even if no one remembers what happened.
i’m drawn to leftovers.
to things that were used up
but still have a lil life left.
hair oil on the counter.
burnt incense.
duct tape on the back of the remote.
there’s something there.
i think Black people have a way of making things matter,
even when they’re small,
or broken,
or not meant to last.
you know? we add flavor.
we stretch it.
we laugh at it.
we make it look good.
that all shows up in the work.
not on purpose.
just because it’s in me.
i don’t need a big idea to start.
i just move toward what pulls me.
what makes me curious.
what makes me laugh a little.
and i let it build from there.
some things you don’t look at—
you feel.
– O
