Daily Inspiration: Meet Asari Aibangbee

Today we’d like to introduce you to Asari Aibangbee.

Hi Asari, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’m Asari Aibangbee, a queer Nigerian femme artist working across filmmaking, fiber art, and curation. My journey began Montreal Canada where I was born. But I grew up in Los Angeles and Corona, CA. It was in San Francisco where I truly found my voice—founding the collective To Be Black and Queer and stepping into independent filmmaking. My work has always centered Black Queer stories, exploring identity, community, and the diasporic experience with depth and tenderness.

In 2021, I picked up a tufting gun on a whim, and that experimentation changed everything. By 2023, during my first artist residency, my fiber art practice took off, blending hand-tufting, punch needle, and cyanotypes with cultural symbols that speak to our lived experiences. For me, textiles became a way to reclaim softness and vulnerability—to show Black Queer and non-men in moments of intimacy and resilience.

My film background—shaped by programs like A24’s Beyond the Screen, the Academy Museum’s Promise Workshops, and the Queer Women of Color Film Festival—taught me to build worlds beyond traditional structures. That same ethos fuels my fiber art: each piece is a conversation, a protest, a love letter.

Most recently I was, a 2024-2025 Craft the Future Artist in Residence, and I created my largest tufted work yet for BUTTER art fair in Indianapolis last year. Based in LA, I’m still exploring, still stitching together new ways to tell our stories—because art, for me, has always been about freedom.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has definitely not been a smooth road, but I am blessed to have the opportunities I have gotten! The specific struggles I have dealt with, my whole and especially since college (where my career began, is being apart of an immigrant West African family that never nurtured and supported my creativity. I can tell the difference between my peers who have familial support vs. me and others who constantly have to lean on ourselves when we really need to get things done in order to grow in our fields, both on a personal and professional level. Also experiencing homelessness and financial hardships, have impacted the evolution of my career. But I continue to be persistent and consistent when it comes to chasing my dreams and achieving my goals.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a multidisciplinary artist specializing in filmmaking, fiber/textile art, and art curation.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite childhood memory was going to the different beaches in LA and Orange County when my parents had time to take us! The beach was the place that made my feel the most free and spiritually connected to myself and my ancestors. Also seeing my who lived in different parts of south central every weekend, although I grew up in Korea Town, but we spent the rest of our time in south LA. I enjoyed seeing Black folks of different ethnicities in that part of LA.

Pricing:

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Contact Info:

• Website: https://asariaibangbee.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asariaibangbee?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asari-aibangbee141998?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

Image Credits
The photos in my studio were taken by Kalynn Youngblood @nnylak. And the other photos were taken by Mary Osunlana @MaryOsunlana .