Introducing Mutaaaliah: The Artist Whose Love for Art Has Sparked the Truth About Healing
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PHOTO ACCREDITED BY /CW DESRIANA GILBERT
For thousands of people throughout the world, playground lots filled with images created by chalk, popsicle sticks, and glue bottles are their first depictions of the embodiment of art. Many do not explore beyond the surface level of this school subject; it’s often given only a skewed capacity, such as coloring books and double-sided crayola markers. The complexities and multifacetedness of this sacred skill have always been visually noticed but rarely discussed as a community throughout society for centuries. However, I had the pleasure of sitting down with one of the most talented visual artists who just so happens to be located right here in the heart of Chicago. I went into the conversation as one who loves art and uses it as a vessel of optimism and escape but I left the conversation educated and intrigued to learn more after hearing their responses. /CW fam, I introduce you to one of our newest family members, Mutaaaliah.
“I fell in love with art in the fourth grade. Just like any kid, I was constantly exposed to it, at school and throughout the city. Nobody sat me down and taught me how to become one with it. Our connection happened naturally. When something is for you, you just know!”
VISUAL ARTIST, MUTAAALIAH SURROUNDED BY AL OF THEIR WORK
Mutaaaliah has been one of Milwaukee’s most engaging and eye-catching visual artists since 2021. You may recognize the name from being in creative art shows such as Some Fools, Bronzeville Artwalk, Mitchell Street Arts, and La Gente Art Gallery. Their journey has been far from traditional; after dropping out of UW-Milwaukee in 2020, while the pandemic had us all on lockdown, Muta’s passion for art did not die; rather, it intensified. From beginning, a self-taught journey of tracing, they quickly realized the help of other talented individuals would be one of the secret sauces to becoming successful and educated. Collaborating, studying, and watching muralists, painters, and several other types of artists from Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) became their everyday routine and instilled more hunger inside Mutaaaliah to hone in on their craft as well as apply their own flavor and personality to it. As we sat down, Muta expressed to me that their creative process is to always look at what is transpiring in their own life; from adversaries, accomplishments, and lessons, pull the current emotions out of it and formulate pieces that will display the feeling of what Muta is or has gone through over their lifetime.
“I draw inspiration from what’s going on inside me as well as my surroundings. Milwaukee plays a large part in that. I get a ton of ideas just from the everyday people here that I meet. There’s a unique level of warmth and kindness the city has that is rarely spoken about.”
ART PIECE CREATED BY MUTA AT TRUESKOOL’S 2025 JUNETEENTH MURAL CONTEST (FIRST PLACE PIECE)
I was gifted with the presence of Muta’s vulnerable side from the very beginning of the interview. Harsh topics such as psychosis, family trauma, and depression were uncovered and discussed layer by layer. It’s often assumed that visual artists only display positive depictions of life and emotions onto their canvases, buildings and streets; but Mutaaaliah gave me a few pages out of their book that was quite the opposite. For Muta, murals and paintings created by them is a coping mechanism and healing process for their own pathway of life. Healing is not linear, predictable, or set on a specific deadline that means your life will go back to being normal or at its most happiest for the rest of your life. Through creating and sharing a message not often discussed, Mutaaaliah’s art is more than eccentric and vibrant. In 2023, the artist went through psychosis where they were constantly on edge and had auditory as well as visual hallucinations due to a traumatic event that occurred. Their art piece entitled, “I Kill Vampires” was the therapeutic representation of Muta overcoming psychosis and claiming power of one’s own life back.
ARTWORK CREATED BY MUTA
“I want people to understand that healing is an ongoing process. There will be always be triggers even when you think you’ve overcome something. Being vulnerable looks different for everybody. Instead of trying to get over trauma so quickly; I want people to gather the lesson of accepting how trauma has impacted their lives and individuality as a whole, but go at their own pace.”
Throughout the interview, I learned one of Muta’s favorite words, VISION. This is what has kept persistency and perseverance at the forefront of their artistry. From moments of wanting to give up, art has never been easy to walk away from and not complete their vision. So what does Muta’s vision look like you ask? ( Yes, I hear you all asking that question through your screens.) It is to create pieces of word that has surrealism, expressionism and storytelling as its foundation that make people not only talk to one another with deep conversation but also think and be completely honest with not only others but most importantly themselves. As any artist would feel, Mutaaaliah’s accolades such as winning first place TrueSkool’s 2025 Juneteenth Mural Contest and being apart of groundbreaking showcases makes them feel proud and inspired to keep going to the very top but that's not the reason why Muta continues to create.
The visual artist’s ultimate goal is to execute their vision of being able to live life the way they would like. Making a sustainable income off of the value of their artistry and becoming a part of the movement for Milwaukee art is the wind that keeps Mutaaaliah going. Most importantly, everyday people are learning to face their trauma and navigate life even after the darkness by witnessing Muta create in the moment or their finalized portfolio, which is the overarching message of Muta’s gallery.
“Art is the sign of the times. We as artists have the responsibility to show what is going on in our time period. Whether it’s about my personal life or what we as society are facing, it is my job to create by that. Milwaukee art is underfunded and my goal is to become apart of a movenment that gets Milwaukee artsitry funded the way it deserves. There is immense talent here that is given little to no resources.”
ARTWORK CREATED BY VISUAL ARTIST MUTA
Muta’s foot is never coming up off the gas when it comes to not only the vision for themselves but for the innovation of the Milwaukee Art Scene as a whole. Go see Mutaaaliah’s work in person at 100percentmke, located at 217 N Broadway, Milwaukee, WI 53202 in the heart of Third Ward. This is where Muta was given an artist residency to create, network and connect with the community to buy their artwork or pull up for a deep conversation. (One of Muta’s favorites!) Follow the eccentric and truthful talent @Mutaaaliah and stop by 100percentmke to see the magic in person, buy prints and original pieces from the artist and catch their vibe.
Desriana Gilbert | Entertainment & Social Journalist for /CW
