This week’s Art With Deeds spotlight shines on Bala Faama, a multidisciplinary artist whose deeply intuitive and emotionally charged practice centers on themes of memory, identity, and healing. Through portraiture, digital layering, and storytelling, Faama creates visual spaces where emotions are expressed, held, questioned, and transformed.
Her latest body of work, The Mind Remembers, meditatively explores how our minds hold onto experiences—those we cherish and often wish to forget. It reflects how memory and emotion continue to shape our personal landscapes, even in the quietest corners of our lives. The series deals with the liminal space between clinging and releasing, between remembering and moving forward. In her own words, Faama says the work "basically reflects on how past experiences shape us and the ways we navigate them."
The first piece in the series, To Hold, To Let Go, captures that tension with haunting beauty. Using soft yet expressive strokes and body language that feel both intimate and universal, the piece communicates a personal internal dialogue but leaves room for interpretation. “My mum thinks it’s a woman bathing in blood,” Faama jokes, “but for me, it’s about that delicate balance of emotional memory and healing.”
Faama’s path into art wasn’t linear. Originally studying International Relations, she didn’t initially view herself as an artist. It wasn’t until a close friend inspired her to give it a try that she picked up a brush. What began as a curiosity quickly evolved into a vital form of self-expression, especially when words weren’t enough. “I struggled with depression and wasn’t great at expressing myself with words,” she shares. “Art gave me a way to do that.”
Her approach to creating is intuitive and layered. Often beginning with a feeling or fragmented concept, Faama gathers inspiration from personal memories, music, and conversations. “My notes are full of scattered thoughts and rough sketches that come to me randomly,” she says. “Sometimes, I don’t know where a piece is going—I just trust the process.” She combines both traditional and digital techniques to build visual narratives, focusing on facial expressions and body language to ensure emotional authenticity.
Beyond her studio work, Faama is committed to community healing. She’s currently expanding her Creative Unwind Sessions—art workshops aimed at helping others slow down, reflect, and reconnect with themselves through painting. These sessions are safe spaces for emotional release, storytelling, and self-care.
Looking ahead, Faama is continuing to develop The Mind Remembers series, with plans to explore themes of identity, memory, and emotional resilience more deeply. She also hopes to host her first solo exhibition in the summer, sharing these deeply personal pieces with a wider audience.
Bala Faama’s work reminds us that art is not just a form of expression—it’s a vessel for healing, a mirror for memory, and a space for transformation. In her hands, emotion becomes material, and memory becomes a map—guiding us through the past and gently pushing us forward.
