Meet Kamari Smalls | Inter/multidisciplinary artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kamari Smalls and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kamari, how do you think about risk?
I think about risk in a lot of different ways, but in this moment, I’m really thinking of it as a trusting of yourself and your heart. An invitation to experience life at its fullest with fear, hesitancy, and wonder present. Taking risks has played a huge role in my life and it’s a testament to those who pray over and for me. It is why and how I’m at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) as an MFA student in their Digital + Media (D+M) program and ultimately, it’s how I come to know the depths of romantic love.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I make experimental videos using my iPhone and my personal archive of over 10,000 photos and videos. I know, it’s a lot! I’m obsessed with documenting my friends and family and making videos from that. I also dance, which stems from a Black Baptist background, my mother having me in competition dance when I was younger, and Saturday morning West African dance classes in downtown Salt Lake City. This leads me to experiment a lot with improvisation in conjunction with Black Diasporic dance forms. I record a lot of my improvisations and will sometimes post them on Instagram with effects and other manipulations. I do sound stuff as well, particularly sampling and making loops. I love the sounds of Black life, especially the conversations and laughter that I’ve experienced with my loved ones. I recently have been taking more risks by posting my creations on SoundCloud which has been pretty fun for me. I am also part of a duo called Bell’s Theorem with artist lovenloops, stay tuned for our sonic creations and play! Some of my favorite artists and inspirations are my parents, my sisters, lovenloops, Michelle Parkerson, Julie Dash, Zeinabu Irene Davis, Akosua Adoma Owusu, June Jordan, Nikky Finney, Syd, Saving Our Lives Hear Our Truths (SOLHOT), Sonia Sanchez, Urban Bush Women, June Tyson, Aaliyah, Brandy, Corinne Bailey Rae, the list goes on and continues to grow.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Since I’m in Rhode Island we’re going straight to Nick’s on Broadway, amazing food and drinks! We are definitely going to the beach, Barrington is beautiful, but RISD beach is also nice with a great grassy area for hanging out. We would probably hop on the train and go to a concert in Boston, there are so many music venues so the possibilities are endless. We would definitely take a trip to Tricycle Ice Cream which has the most amazing ice cream sandwiches. There are so many cute tea bars in this area too, so we’d have to try out Ceremony which is on the east side. Lastly, we’d go to Thayer street, look around Urban Outfitters, hit up Avon Cinema for some freshly popped popcorn and catch whatever is playing. Lots of chilling, hanging out, and catching up at my place would happen too! One of the most fun things that I’ve experienced is the Providence Flea Market on weekends which is right on the water. There is so much from food trucks to clothes and artists selling an assortment of works. Actually last thing, we’d definitely go thrifting! I’m talking real thrifting too, not this new wave of $30 and $40 “thrifting”.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Shoutout to everyone I love! My mom, sisters, girlfriend, friends, my family; y’all are my light and I’m so grateful to be held by you all.

Website: https://linktr.ee/Kamarismalls

Instagram: @kamarismalls

Other: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/kamarismalls