foladarya's circular logo depicts the lower portion of their face featuring slightly parted lips and one braid with transparent beads resting against their cheek. Lava lamp-like swirls of color appear in the background. To the lower right, "foladarya" is written in cursive.
Ever-evolving, Darya (they+them) is a dark-skinned Black trans-nonbinary queer Sierra Leonean-American multi- and inter-disciplinary artist, writer, and digital strategist.
“foladarya,” the guiding principle of their work, is a reimagining of their middle name, Folasade, and their first name, Darya. “fola” is the Yoruba word for “honor,” and “Darya” means “sea”. “foladarya” is a reminder that reimaging oneself is honoring oneself and the conditions for life. Their artistic and written works have been used to explore, deconstruct, reimagine, and rebuild the material, mental, and spiritual conditions that can lead to a more expansive honoring of self, one another, and the natural and supernatural worlds. In this practice, they conjure their art and writing from the unique beauty of queered Black existence across space and time.
Darya’s digital strategy and content curation expertise has been leveraged to support audience growth, engagement, and multi-platform intersectional storytelling for organizations such as Advocates for Trans Equality, the Wilderness Society, the Center for Cultural Power, the Center for American Progress, Young People For, and BYP100.
A collaged alter featuring images of Black people, messages of liberation, and a mirror comprised of broken CDs and glass.
A detail shot of an assemblage piece titled “Healing Is A Portal, Too,” comprised of multi-colored braided hair, CD shards, broken glass, beads, and prayer candles.
A mural featuring painted dark brown hands + black text that reads: “Free Us All.” Multi-colored handprints appear dispersed against bright green paint. Above the dark brown hands reads the prompt: “What Does Freedom Mean to You?” Sticky notes sit below the hands.
A close-up of a sculpture comprised of CDs and broken glass.
A gif titled “Static,” created by Darya.
An edited clip from a video titled, “Show Me,” focuses on healing in tandem with spirit, Earth, and nonlinear time—scripted, filmed, and edited by Darya.
A short film titled, “Wetin Nah Yu Name?” scripted, filmed, and edited by Darya about identity and place.
View enlarged prints here.
2022: DIGITAL COLLAGE
AVAILABLE IN 5x5 ($15.15), 8x8 ($27.27), 12x12 ($55.55)
2021: ACRYLIC, SHARPIE, WATERCOLOR PAPER COLLAGE
AVAILABLE IN 8x6 ($33.33), 16x12 ($66.66)
2023: DIGITAL COLLAGE
AVAILABLE IN 5x5 ($15.15) 8x8 ($27.27) 12x12($55.55)
*Proceeds go to Within Our Lifetime
2021, ACRYLIC, DIGITAL COLLAGE
AVAILABLE IN 5x5 ($15.15), 8x8 ($27.27), 12x12 ($55.55)
2022: DIGITAL COLLAGE
AVAILABLE IN 5x5 ($15.15), 8x8 ($27.27), 12x12 ($55.55)
2019: ACRYLIC, SHARPIE
AVAILABLE IN 5x5 ($15.15) 8x8 ($27.27)
2020: DIGITAL COLLAGE
AVAILABLE IN 5x5 ($15.15) 8x8 ($27.27)
2021, ACRYLIC, DIGITAL COLLAGE
AVAILABLE IN 5x5 ($15.15) 8x8 ($27.27) 12x12 ($55.55)
2019: PENCIL, PEN, SHARPIE, COLLAGE, WATER COLOR, ACRYLIC
AVAILABLE IN 5X7 ($22.22), 8X10 ($33.33), 11X14 ($55.55)
2018, PEN, PENCIL, SHARPIE PHOTOSHOP
AVAILABLE IN 5X7 ($22.22), 8X11 ($44.44)
2018: SHARPIE, CHALK PASTEL, INDESIGN
AVAILABLE IN 5x8 ($25.25)
2010: PENCIL, ACRYLIC
AVAILABLE IN 5X7 ($22.22), 8X11 ($44.44)
“5 stories: Resistance in the era of fossil fuels and climate change” - The Wilderness Society (September 2023)
A series of features authored by Darya Nicol and Emily Denny focusing on people most impacted by and engaged in fighting against the oil and gas industry's thrust toward climate catastrophe.
“How Child Care Became a Centerpiece of the 2020 Election” - TalkPoverty (November 2020)
Analysis written by Darya Nicol focusing on the child care crisis as a voting issue.
“How to Talk About Your STI’s” - MelaNation Zine, Issue 4; Writing, Design, Layout; p.16-22 (May 2019)
A zine contribution written by Darya Nicol for MelaNation Zine’s fourth issue, sex n' stuff.
"What To Do If White Supremacists Hold a Rally in Your Hood"- BlackYouthProject.Com (August 2017)
Blog post written by Darya Nicol, Jordan DeLoach, and Samantha Masters in response to the white supremacist and pro-fascist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in August 2017.
Prints
Email Darya at foladarya@gmail.com to purchase prints. Darya will work with you to mail the item or arrange a local pick up/delivery. Delivery fees apply, pick up and delivery is limited to NYC, and a sliding scale exists for Black folks who are queer, trans, disabled, formerly incarcerated, sex workers, and/or folks existing at any of these intersections.
Commissions + Collaborations
Interested in conjuring something new? Contact Darya at foladarya@gmail.com. If you and Darya agree on the vision, they’ll send you a sample strategy, an outline of a script, or different compositional options for artistic renderings. The final price will be calculated based on time spent, supplies used, and project size.
For more, visit patreon.com/foladarya
“Mumia Abu Jamal Chat Featuring Live Discussion”, LinkUp, HU Resist, Jona Monet, Panelist, 2018
OutWrite Washington D.C. annual LGBTQ literary festival, MelaNation Zine Artist Reading, Creative Director, 2018.
MelaNation, Lead Editor and Designer (2017-2019)
Darya served as a founder and lead editor of the independent Black radical publication, MelaNation, a project of the community organizing group formerly known as the D.C. chapter of BYP100. Existing online, in print, and in community, MelaNation encouraged DC-metro residents to imagine what Black liberation could look like through its publications and events.
Lotus Womb Performance Pod (2019)
In the spring of 2019, Darya joined 8 women and nonbinary artists in painting 5ft x 3ft wooden petals for the Omi Collective’s Lotus Womb Performance Pod staged on the National Mall. The pod served as a creative portal of healing during times of unrest.
