WXLLSPACE Artist Spotlight: Keya Tama
By Kaitlin Lee
Growing up with artists as parents, Keya Tama from birth was immersed in a deeply diverse, vibrant artistic community in South Africa. His parents, who had him when they were young, were Tyler B Murphy, a muralist, sign painter, and tattoo artist, and Faith XLVII, a renowned fine artist and muralist. Both of them were heavily involved in the graffiti community. In turn, Tama was raised in alternative environments of skate parks, mural jams, and rap or b-boy competitions, instilling a love for art and commitment to the community.?
Most profoundly, Tama’s mother took him worldwide to mural festivals. From there, Tama witnessed diverse artistic styles and cultures and opened his eyes to greater creative horizons. At 19, Tama took a leap of faith and moved to Los Angeles.?
Formerly working under the pseudonyms of Cashril Plus, then Jack Fox, Tama works around the world as a multimedia artist, with a distinct style of geometric shapes and muted colors – a distinct style Tama describes as “Ancient Contemporary minimalism.”
WXLLSPACE caught up with Tama to talk more about his influences in art.?
Walk me through your creative process as you create a mural.?
When possible, I like to spend time in the environment around me before painting. I really absorb the feeling of the place, and then let the emotional resonance of that inform the piece. I also love incorporating the architecture around.
I often find myself becoming deeply immersed in the environment to the point that people don’t notice me. However, other times, people come up to engage in conversations about their relationship with art, and these interactions have led to some truly beautiful exchanges.?
However, I also deeply value the ability to blend into the background while painting. Spending day in and day out in the same place allows me to observe it on a much deeper level. Through people's conversations and the energy of the surroundings, I gain a profound understanding of the world in that moment. This immersive experience enriches my work and connects me more intimately with the community.
You’ve mentioned you use a grid structure process when you create murals. Can you elaborate further on that??
My process often begins with designing the mural on gridded paper. This approach allows me to easily scale up the original design when I’m at the mural site. I start by gridding the wall with chalk, matching it to the grid on my paper.
Typically, I prime the wall in sections, then overlay the grid, using the existing architecture as reference points to integrate the mural seamlessly into the environment. Once the grid is in place, I sketch the design with chalk, paint it in, and finally wash away any remaining chalk.
Sometimes, I prefer to start with just the grid, without a predetermined design. In these moments, I find inspiration by staring into the grid until imagery emerges, almost as if the mural existed there all along, waiting to be revealed. This approach gives a sense of organic creation as if the art is a natural extension of the space itself.
Your parents were also artists. Did they give you any important lessons about art growing up??
My parents taught me the importance of fostering long-term friendships and contributing to the artistic community. They have both been pioneers and mentors to many, and their legacy of inspiring and supporting others is something I strive to continue.?
They taught me the necessity of maintaining emotional harmony. Just as you must work diligently on your art, you also need to nurture your emotional well-being to sustain your creative journey. It's about finding balance—being there for others while ensuring you don't give more than you can replenish. This balance is crucial for personal and artistic growth, and it's a principle that guides me in my work and life.
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You talk about how folklore has a great influence on your art. What sort of elements of folklore inspire your art??
Traveling to such contrasting countries from a young age inspired me. We have a collective ancient world and the echoes of what remains from them. I love the universal meanings and mythology behind animals and plants. Painting and learning their continual folklore, which spills into the contemporary, working as an invisible thread connecting everyone.?
What I love about the mythology surrounding animals is that you don't need to believe in it for it to resonate deeply within your subconscious as an emotional truth. Their symbolic power and our inherent need to coexist with them create an almost musical quality to their symbolism. As people’s lives become increasingly separated from nature and animals, these mythological connections gain even more significance, bridging the gap and reminding us of our symbiotic relationship with the natural world.
Have you noticed any recurring motifs or themes in your art? If so, why do you think they keep showing up??
I am really drawn to the archetype of the lone horse riders as they symbolize leaving home to learn a lesson at the beginning of your journey. This resonates with me, as I left Cape Town for Los Angeles, which was a pivotal experience for me.
Growing up in Cape Town, I had a strong creative intuition and a distinct sense of taste across various spheres, not just in art. However, when I arrived in LA, the sheer size and diversity of the art world—and the world in general—caused me to momentarily lose my internal compass. This feeling of being lost, though initially disorienting, granted me the freedom to experiment in expansive and transformative ways. It allowed me to challenge and redefine my creative instincts, ultimately broadening my artistic horizons.
You have mentioned before that you would want to be a journalist because "storytelling is at the heart of [your] desire to be an artist". What is it about storytelling that you love?
In some ways, everyone from an early age collects these secret symbols and riddles, which follow them throughout life and reveal their true depth and meanings over time. I love learning and understanding what drives people.
Many people I've met have deep, generational connections to art, even though it can often be difficult to access. Murals, however, serve as a gateway, inviting people to explore their creative ambitions and express the artistic skills of their ancestors. It opens up conversations and allows individuals to share their deep associations with imagery and their desires to see these visions come to life. Through murals, people find a tangible and accessible way to connect with art, making it a more inclusive and expressive form of creativity.
What has been your most ambitious mural project so far??
Definitely, the mural I did in Stuttgart, Arkansas.
It was so, so ambitious. I had a couple of assistants on and off, but my main assistant and I probably slept 4 to 5 hours a night for two weeks, just painting every last second we had because the wall was so big, detailed, and neat. The sheer manpower put into that collectively was unmatched, because it had to be extremely neat on a big, brick surface.?
Are you currently working on anything??
At the moment, I’m working on a show at Harman Projects in Los Angeles for July 13. I’m also going to participate in a mural festival in Ecuador called NUMU from June 21 to June 30. I have some projects that have yet to be announced.?