Oji Elliott

Oji Leon Elliott is a native of the Bayview Hunters Point area of San Francisco, Ca. He first started creating art in elementary school, and the first picture he drew was of Michael Jackson with the yellow sweater on, if you remember that iconic photo. Oji did not take art seriously until after a near death experience, after which he started to create art to inspire others and to educate himself more. He attended the Academy of Arts College in San Francisco from 1999 - 2001. Being inspired by his uncles who had a dance group called "Close Encounters Of The Funkiest Kind" in the early 80's. Taught by one of his uncles, Mark Elliott, Oji learned how to make beats. Having a passion for music as well, Oji loves to create music, write songs, produce music for other artists, and perform live. Oji is quoted saying "Music is a different form of therapy than visual art, although music can help you see with your ears and listen with your heart." 

‍

Having spiritual experiences allowed Oji to see life from new perspectives which in turn enriched his artwork. Some call the "Kundalini'', also the Umbilini in the Zulu language. Oji's Kundalini experience also made him focus on how sacred life was and is. He was artist in residence at the Hunters Point shipyard in 2002, where he enjoyed having art shows and meeting other artists, being inspired by their artwork as well. "Two of my favorite artists are Joe Sam & Malik Senefru", says Oji. He loves to experiment with surrealism and also appreciates realism. His styles of art range from abstract to collage, portraits to sacred geometry. Nature Photography is also a hobby that he enjoys. 3d Animation is another vehicle that Oji loves to drive. He has been creating 3d animated videos for over 10 years. Oji has created animated videos for great artists such as First Degree The D.E. & R.B.L. Posse. "The animation helps to bring the art and music to life," says Oji. In 2018 the artist Georgia Anne Muldrow & Dudley Perkins helped Oji release his album titled "Sono'theism". "The term "Sono'theism" is as if sound healing was my religion. In a past life I was a sound healing priest."So Oji incorporates tuning forks and singing bowls into his songs and live performances. Oji looks forward to creating more artwork around yoga, sound healing, dance, & transcendental meditation. Oji has also been producing an album for the west african rapper Joey Le Soldat for the past two years that he is very excited about. Oji says "The music inspires the art, and the art inspires the music."

‍