Cleotha Bell

Cleotha Bell was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1975. He studied interior

architecture and design in Italy at Milan’s Instituto Europeo di Design. During his

studies, Cleotha became especially interested in his art and art history

courses. Like many artists before him, he was drawn by the abundance of

beauty of Africa’s cultures and its contributions to the art world. He became

increasingly interested in those of tribal markings and scarifications.

After finishing his studies and moving back to United States, where he chose

Miami, Florida as home, he decided to dedicate more time to his art.

Knowing that the subject matter of tribal markings and scars was

much more than just body art, he continued to do extensive research to gain

more knowledge on the practice. Intrigued by the scaring pattens and

practices of such tribes as the Bétamarribé, Ko, Nanumbas, Dagombas,

Frafras, Nuer, Bodi, Mursi, Karamojong and many others, he wanted to use

his art as a way to pay homage to what for many tribes, is becoming a

dying practice.

Tribal markings and scars have significant meanings. Some symbolize

beauty, the birth of a male child, fertility, adulthood, bravery, tribal rank,

identity and ethnic heritage among others. Never wanting the beauty of this

nonverbal language to be lost, Cleotha began expressing his representation of

these tribal art forms on his heavily painted canvases using many patterns

and designs from these tribes as his inspiration. Understanding and

respecting that his paintings could never tell the story of the social skin of

these tribesmen, he wishes only to create and maintain dialogue and

discussion through his work.