Roanna Tella

Roanna Tella (b.1999) is a visual artist living and working in Lagos. She received her bachelor's degree in Visual Arts from the department of Creative Arts, University of Lagos, where she majored in painting. With varied tones of cerulean, ultramarine, purples, and related hues Tella creates an alternate reality by situating herself in dreamscapes where she gets to be at rest and unperturbed by external expectations of the chaos in her present reality. She incorporates hand-sewn narrative embroidering texts along the borders of her paintings which serves as a meditative practice, helping her think through the work. Her contemplative works are a candid exploration of the inner self and provide a visual opening into the emotional states by examining how people respond and cope with traumatic experiences. Harnessing the power of shared experiences, she thoughtfully captures what resilience looks like in times of great distress. Roanna’s creative process relies on conceptualizing her ideas by finding inspiration, researching, taking notes, and refining the narrative before commencing on a piece. Tella’s work has featured in numerous group exhibitions such as I AM & ... NOTHING ELSE, Affinity Art Gallery, Lagos,Nigeria,(2022), Inward, Stayhome Gallery, USA (2021), iDesign Art VI, Nimbus Gallery, Lagos Nigeria (2020), Impart Fair, Lasmara, Lagos Nigeria (2019), and Last Image Show, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania (2018).