By Hailey Stangebye

Photos courtesy of Ludie Sénatus

The question ‘Who is Ludie Sénatus?’ has many potential answers.

I could tell you that she’s a Haitian-American artist; or that she was one of eight minority students at a small christian college in Kentucky; or even that she transferred schools, packed her life into two bins and moved to this city where she didn’t know a soul.

The best answer to that question, though, is a painting. Ludie’s piece, “Self Portrait,” sheds light on the fundamental nature of Ludie as a being.

“Self Portrait” by Ludie Sénatus

“One day, I woke up in the middle of the night,” Ludie says. “For the next two days I didn’t sleep. I just worked on my self portrait. It’s a very transcendental piece for me. I was going through a lot, and I’d always ask myself, ‘What is my purpose? What am I as a being?’”

“For the next two days I didn’t sleep. I just worked on my self portrait. It’s a very transcendental piece for me. I was going through a lot, and I’d always ask myself, ‘What is my purpose? What am I as a being?’”

“Self Portrait” is the result of that self-reflective meditation. This piece also launched Ludie in the stylistic direction for which she’s now known.

“The one lash is a theme throughout all of my work, but ‘Self Portrait’ was the first time I did that,” Ludie says. “It’s about closing your eyes to the distractions of life and getting to know your true and authentic self outside of your social status, outside of your race, outside of your sex, outside of your group of friends. Who are you as an individual being?”

Ludie’s “Self Portrait” is on display at The Gallery at the Gateway Film Center through February, along with two of her other pieces: “Passion” and “Allure.” She chose these works for this particular show because she says that authenticity and self expression are integral to the Harlem Renaissance movement we’re celebrating today.

“The Harlem Renaissance from 100 years ago is the same movement we’re creating now. It’s about bringing our art and who we are to the forefront and hoping that everyone else appreciates what it is that we bring to the table,” Ludie says. “I believe that that’s what my art depicts. It’s about being authentic, not being afraid to be yourself and encouraging others to do the same.”

“I believe that that’s what my art depicts. It’s about being authentic, not being afraid to be yourself and encouraging others to do the same.”

Ludie’s Work

By Hailey Stangebye

Photos courtesy of the Sunami family

On November 30, “Generations of Art: The Sunami Family” will open at the Cultural Arts Center with a ceremony featuring the Columbus Symphony, the Columbus Modern Dance Company and, of course, the Sunami family.

This show represents four generations of artists all connected through bonds of heritage and love, and is being organized by local public artist John Sunami. A resident of Columbus for over forty years, John boasts an array of public art installments all over our city, from the COTA Bus headquarters to the McConnell Arts Center of Worthington.

The lineage starts, however, with John’s father, Soichi Sunami. Born in the late 1800s, Soichi emigrated from Japan to the United States and pursued a career as a photographer. Among his many accolades, Soichi was one of the founding staff members for the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

“This is going to be one of the first major retrospectives of my grandfather’s work since he passed,” Chris, Soichi’s grandson and John’s son, says. “He was an early modernist photographer, and he was best known because he took a lot of the iconic pictures of the early modern dancers. Particularly, he worked with Martha Graham, who was one of the main innovators of modern dance. He and Martha Graham worked closely together for five years. A lot of the really famous pictures of her were ones that he took.”

“He was an early modernist photographer, and he was best known because he took a lot of the iconic pictures of the early modern dancers. Particularly, he worked with Martha Graham, who was one of the main innovators of modern dance. He and Martha Graham worked closely together for five years. A lot of the really famous pictures of her were ones that he took.”

For the opening ceremony festivities, the Columbus Modern Dance Company (with funding from the Greater Columbus Arts Council) has secured permissions to recreate an original Martha Graham piece, “Heretic,” which was photographed by Soichi.

Next in the line of artists is John, a key organizer for the show and an acclaimed public artist in Columbus.  

“My dad was one of the very early innovators of digital art,” Chris says. “I remember, back when I was a kid, he got his first Macintosh computer in 1984, which was when they came out. And he was a winner of one of their first contests for digital artists. So, he was doing digital art very early.”

The show will also showcase three artists from the next generation of Sunamis: Chris, his sister, Jennifer, and his wife, April.

Jennifer is a commercial artist based out of Seattle. Chris is a programmer at Nationwide by day, but he spends his off hours writing and composing.

“The Columbus Symphony is going to provide an ensemble. They’re going to play live accompaniment to the dance,” Chris says. “They’ll also be performing six of my own pieces. That’s very exciting for me.”

“The Columbus Symphony is going to provide an ensemble. They’re going to play live accompaniment to the dance. They’ll also be performing six of my own pieces. That’s very exciting for me.”

Last in this generation, but certainly not least, is acclaimed local artist April Sunami. Her work has been featured across the state, and, earlier this year, she produced a solo show for the Southern Ohio Museum at Portsmouth. She is also currently a featured artist and curator for Columbus’ Harlem Renaissance 100 celebration.

“This will show the range of what our family is doing,” Chris says. “But, it also shows that we’re an multiracial family, and I think it’s good for people to see that as a part of the fabric of Columbus. Sometimes, people don’t think of Columbus as a multicultural place. But it really is.”

“But, it also shows that we’re an multiracial family, and I think it’s good for people to see that as a part of the fabric of Columbus. Sometimes, people don’t think of Columbus as a multicultural place. But it really is.”

The fourth generation will be represented in the show with a piece from River Sunami, the 10-year-old son of April and Chris. River is one of the many young artists and musicians among Soichi’s 10 great-grandchildren. While it’s too soon to tell if River will follow in his family’s footsteps, Chris says that River was drawn to art from the moment he could draw.

This show opens on November 30 at 6 p.m., and the artwork will remain on display through January 5, 2019. For more information, click here.

By Hailey Stangebye

Photos by Kenny V.

Growing up, TrigNO was only allowed to listen to gospel music in the house.

But TrigNO and his brother were crafty. His brother would sneak VHS tapes of Usher videos into the house when their parents weren’t home.

“I feel old saying this, but they were tapes,” TrigNO laughs. “So he’d put them in the VCR and I’d watch them and see somebody moonwalking on their knees. He used to listen to a lot of rap and stuff when my mom and dad weren’t home. I was just like, ‘Yo, this is what I want to do. I like it.’ So I started training myself.”

“He used to listen to a lot of rap and stuff when my mom and dad weren’t home. I was just like, ‘Yo, this is what I want to do. I like it.’ So I started training myself.”

TrigNO became a dancer. But his interests extended far beyond just dance, as he practiced everything from rapping to acting — and, for a brief stint, the trumpet. Today, he defines himself broadly as “an entertainer” because that’s the most inclusive label for his talents.

He still remembers his first performance: It was fifth grade, his school was celebrating black history month and he had to rap.

“I had to rap in front of the whole school and I think I was the only one who remembered the words, and people really liked my verse,” TrigNO says.

It was around that age that he also met one of his most influential mentors — Mr. Malik Willoughby.

“We’re just so alike. Him and his brothers used to rap. They still do. And he’s a phenomenal dancer,” TrigNO says. “He taught me a lot. He also gave me good advice about finances and a whole lot of different stuff.”

With his own drive to create and help from mentors like Malik, TrigNO has honed his creative craft in rapping, dancing, acting and beyond. Today, he continues to rap and he also teaches dance for kids in Columbus.

“When I started, people knew me mainly for dance because that’s how I was in the community. I was teaching kids to dance as a kid,” TrigNO says. “Just imagine people knowing you for this one thing. As soon as I said, ‘Hey, I do music too, come and check out my project,’ they were like, ‘Aw yeah, but when’s your dance class?’”

“Just imagine people knowing you for this one thing. As soon as I said, ‘Hey, I do music too, come and check out my project,’ they were like, ‘Aw yeah, but when’s your dance class?’”

Breaking that limiting mold has proven to be one of his greatest challenges. Despite the resistance he’s faced, TrigNO continues to write and perform because he knows that there’s a need for his music in the community. He witnesses that need every day when he teaches his students.

“I know that the music that they listen to is very reckless, very young. There’s not a lot of wisdom to it,” TrigNO says. “I’ve had the pleasure of having both parents, and a father in my life who actually cared about me. They poured everything they had into me to make sure that I had everything I needed as far as my morals go.

“I’m not sure if these kids have that or not. But, I’m going to treat it as if they don’t. Or as if they just need to hear what I have to say.”

“I know that the music that they listen to is very reckless, very young. There’s not a lot of wisdom to it.”

TrigNO says that his music is for all ages. He doesn’t curse, he recently stopped saying the “n-word” and he focuses on the power of a message that he feels is missing in the hip hop canon. He says there’s value to preserving that innocence, even with raw subject matter.

“I can’t help but rap. I can’t help it. A lot of people feel like they have to dumb stuff down. Me? I’m not too complex because I want you to understand what I’m saying,” TrigNO says. “It’s real. It’s thought provoking.”

TrigNO’s Work

Beauty in the Pain

By Hailey Stangebye

Photos by Kenny Williams

Before he goes on stage, Kashis Keyz visualizes a physical button.

It’s a button that controls all of his energy. In an instant, he can press this button and completely change his behavior. It doesn’t matter if he’s sick, upset or hasn’t slept in days. That button changes everything. He turns his energy all the way up to perform.

The only thing it takes to press that button is a pure love for music.

“I feel like love has to be the prerequisite with it all, with anything creative,” Kashis says. “You have to love it to a point where you love it more than eating and sleeping. I feel like when you get to that point, when you love something that much, it just flows out of you. And that’s what happens to me every time I perform. Every time.”

“You have to love it to a point where you love it more than eating and sleeping. I feel like when you get to that point, when you love something that much, it just flows out of you.”

Kashis began performing when he was just a child growing up in Connecticut. His grandmother ran a non-profit that brought the arts to middle schools. The first song she had him perform was “I Know I Can,” by Nas. After that, he learned “Jesus Walks” by Kanye.

“I did that for probably eight months to a year. To the point where I was like ‘I’m tired of rapping other people’s stuff. I wanna make my own music,’” Kashis says. “So I started writing myself.”

Even though Kashis was only 11 years old, his first song was a hit. He performed it for a talent show that was broadcast on local television and won third place. The prize was $100 and he never forgot that moment.

“At that age, for me to win that for my first song, I was like, ‘Shit, I’m supposed to do this,’” Kashis says.

“At that age, for me to win that for my first song, I was like, ‘Shit, I’m supposed to do this.'”

As a teenager, Kashis moved back to Columbus, where he was originally born, to stay with his father. Throughout high school and his time at the University of Cincinnati and then Columbus State, Kashis continued to dabble and write.

But it wasn’t until March of 2016 that everything changed. At that point, he had been working on an album project for nearly three years with no end in sight.

Then he lost his job.

He took this as a sign. He turned his negative situation into an opportunity to pursue the career that truly inspired him.

“I thought, ‘Music must be it.’ So I finished the project, put it out two years ago and then started getting shows. Everything started moving from there,” Kashis says.

Kashis takes special care to connect with his audience through his live performances and his words. He knows that if he can hook a new listener with his presence, then they’ll go home and really listen to the individual words in his songs and feel even more connected.

His ultimate goal is to create music that touches people. Billions of people.

“My message is that with anything you’ve gone through, you can flip it and make it into a positive. Everybody goes through different situations in their life. Everybody has trauma and drama associated with experiences,” Kashis says. “But, we can take that, mold it, and create something beautiful. There’s beauty in the pain.”  

“Everybody goes through different situations in their life. Everybody has trauma and drama associated with experiences. But, we can take that, mold it, and create something beautiful. There’s beauty in the pain.”

Kashis Keyz’ Website

Follow his music:

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iTunes

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YouTube

SoundCloud

She is the Renaissance

By Hailey Stangebye

Photos by Kenny Williams (@kbizhwl)

Keisha Soleil is an alchemist who holds all of Columbus in her heart.

People know her as a poet and a singer, but those labels hardly scratch the surface. Keisha identifies as a spiritual practitioner, a ritual leader, a woman, a creator and, most-encompassing, an alchemist.

“I can do whatever the hell I want to do,” Keisha says. “It’s whatever moves. I let the spirit lead me.”

For Keisha, the Harlem Renaissance is more than a campaign. It’s life itself.

“In the actual Harlem Renaissance, they were coming together because that was their way of surviving. That was their way of thriving. It wasn’t because they looked good or because ‘I can do this.’ No. It’s because ‘I need to do this or else I’m going to die,’” Keisha says.

“For me, in my everyday life, telling my story is how I liberate myself. It’s how I liberate my family, my mother, the people who are gonna come after me, the young people that I’m living for. I have to stand on the truth of my narrative. Every day, I have a reason to be a Renaissance. Even if this campaign wasn’t happening.”

“Every day, I have a reason to be a Renaissance. Even if this campaign wasn’t happening.”

Every fiber of Keisha’s work links to her central goal: To challenge the status quo. Her method of storytelling invites her audience to reexamine truth and explore how they fit into this puzzle that is the Columbus narrative. That’s why she tells her story.

“My narrative is one that usually gets either overlooked, or other people try to make it fit what makes them comfortable. I feel like it’s my duty to tell my story,” Keisha says. “Not even for a bigger scale, but for my family. I have a mom who was born in 1950, who lived through Jim Crow, who lived through Nixon, who was raising kids in what we know now as the King Lincoln district… I have to speak my truth so that their truth doesn’t get erased.”

“I have to speak my truth so that their truth doesn’t get erased.”

Columbus is Keisha’s canvas. These are the people and the streets that built and continue to shape her. This is where, as a child, she would entertain herself by making up songs and creating custom cassettes for her mom. In her Columbus middle school, Keisha performed with Transit Arts. And in high school, she helped found Columbus City Schools’ first-ever high school slam team.

“I feel like I was really shaped and made by the Columbus writer scene. People like Will Evans, Scott Woods, and Writing Wrongs Poetry — that was my home poetry spot,” Keisha says. “As long I’ve been allowed to go out and have a social life, I’ve been performing and doing stuff in Columbus.”

For Keisha, Columbus is unique. She says that the spirit of this city is not broken, but wounded. That’s why her work creates spaces of vulnerability and transformation to help the people in her community heal and grow.

“I fucking love this city,” Keisha says. “I love the people. I love every aspect of it. If anything, that’s why I want people to know who I am and to know my art, because I literally want my art to reflect my people and to reflect my city in a way that’s honest. Because we deserve it. This city deserves it so much. There’s just so much beautiful stuff in this city. But there are so many people in this city who are just hungry and longing for somebody to acknowledge them. That’s what I want my art to do — to shine a light on all those people whose voices aren’t popular enough to be heard or to be seen.”

“That’s what I want my art to do — to shine a light on all those people whose voices aren’t popular enough to be heard or seen.”

Keisha’s Work