Kohshin Finley’s work depicts his friends and community as strong, resilient individuals on the other side of adversities they’ve faced. The subjects of his paintings use their victories as armor for their journey through everyday life. These visceral moments are made to facilitate conversations on fortitude and perseverance.

Prior to each painting, Finley writes poems stemming from these conversations and interlaces them with his own history, chronicling a personal story that takes on a new life on the canvas. By telling stories that are honest to both his subjects and himself, Finley’s paintings establish genuine trust with the viewer, allowing a sincere connection to be made. Finley creates paintings in this way to honor his own vulnerabilities, as well as those of his subjects, giving the viewer permission to discover something about themselves (in the precarious present).