December: Monique Biggers

Rooted in Cleveland’s vibrant creative scene, Monique Biggers is an abstract artist whose work is shaped by exploration and intuition. Acrylic is her foundation, but she often layers unexpected materials and textures to challenge the boundaries of form. Her fascination with negative space guides much of her visual language, allowing her to play with presence and absence on the canvas. For Monique, art is an evolving dialogue, each piece a chance to discover something new, both in her process and in herself.

Artist Statement
As an abstract visual artist, my work is rooted in trust, exploration, and the dynamic relationship between self and environment. Acrylic serves as my primary medium, but my practice continually evolves through the incorporation of available materials, challenging me to push creative boundaries and embrace innovation. Creating for me is a somatic experience that provides a space to process emotions and connect with my intuition. Through intuitive abstraction, I engage in a dialogue with my materials, allowing the process to unfold organically. That allows me to process emotions and engage with my intuition. This method serves as both a creative and personal exercise in self-awareness, vulnerability, and acceptance. Nature plays a central role in my inspiration, particularly its cycles of impermanence and transformation. The ebb and flow of life are mirrored in my work, where layers, textures, and forms are built up and sometimes stripped away, reflecting the ever-changing states of existence.

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Instagram profile link
Xoxo_moemoe
Facebook profile link
https://www.facebook.com/MoKiEpOo

Tell us a bit about your background. How did you come to embrace the life of a visual artist? Was there a pivotal moment or influence that sparked your journey into art?

I was born an artist. The earliest things I can remember being a fan of was art, fashion, colors, 2003 Alicia Keys (IYKYK), and other people's business. In that order. I was in 4th grade with my first permanent installation. That oil pastel cheetah set the tone for what I wanted out of life. Fresh out of college, confused, and amixt a global pandemic shut down, I found myself in a space of desperation to find myself, and the only solution that I could come up with was to returning to art. Life has a way of trying to force you to conform just so you can survive. Not making art feels like swimming against the current and within the journey of finding myself; I decided to go with the current.

Every artist draws inspiration from somewhere. Can you share a little about the influences, artists, or experiences that have shaped your creative vision? Are there particular themes or stories that resonate with you deeply and appear frequently in your work?

My inspiration is freedom. Freedom from making myself small. Freedom from fear of judgment. What inspires me to make art, quite literally, is my will to live. Releasing anger inspires me, being in love inspires me. Heartbreak inspires me. I admire jazz artists and their ability to audibly paint abstraction. Listening to jazz while I work helps inform my movement. Stimulate my brain. Alice Coltrane and her bells inspire me. Shout out to Solange, Alfa Mist, Robert Glasper, Liv.e, Hiatus Kaiyote, and so many more (Thank you!). Somatic release is also very important in my process. I need to be physical and get messy to feel the material. I often say before I start working, " I need to get something off me". Because I need external places to process my emotions without using words, my canvas know me most intimately. I aim to discuss vulnerability, self harm, ritualism, fire, pain, restoration, mania, and healing by dealing with life, processing my emotions, and putting it all on the canvas. 888

Walk us through your creative process. How do you approach a new piece, from the moment an idea forms to the final detail? Do you follow a routine, or does each project develop differently?

Experimentation is at the heart of my process, I try to explore as many ideas and mediums as they come to mind. Usually, pieces are a surprise to me, because I am working mostly intuitively there is little planning at first. Once I start, I then have room for my brain to make connections and the elements form piece by piece on an imagined plane. I like creating texture so usually I will start by texturing my surface. Layering paint and other materials to make interesting base layers. Taping off borders has also become a key part of my process. I love the clean lines the tape leaves and how it kind of stops the conversation happening in the piece. I use large brushes or my hands to create gestural movements as well as throw and splatter paint. Sometime I will use fire as an element in my work. Burning flowers I dried and creating pigments with the ash, burning palo santo while using the charcoal byproduct. I find myself most active in the evening, surrounded by candles that keep me company.

Artistic journeys often come with both challenges and triumphs. Can you share any memorable challenges you’ve encountered in your career, and perhaps a breakthrough moment that shifted your perspective or approach to your work?

One of my biggest challenges is working with whatever materials I have on hand. It sounds simple, but it demands a lot of brain power and creative thinking. Figuring out how to reclaim waste and how to let remains become the starting point for something excites me. Honestly, when I encounter weird junk I’m drawn to, I feel lucky to experience beauty in the mundane. Another challenge has been balancing the different versions of myself: the artist, the administrator, a person trying to survive. I’ve had to stay level headed and patient while navigating art institutions, advocating for myself, and doing all the behind the scenes labor that keeps my practice going. It’s not easy, but I’m grateful I have the capacity to manage it all and keep creating. A major breakthrough for me was giving myself permission to physically emote in my work. Learning to throw, tear, burn and basically to be destructive in a healthy way shifted everything. It opened up a new language and helped me heal parts of my younger self who always kept it cute when it needed to be ugly. Exploring my pain through these physical processes transformed the way I make, and it led me to the style and freedom I create with now.

Your work has a unique style and presence. How would you describe it to someone encountering it for the first time? Are there particular materials, colors, or techniques you find yourself returning to?

Very simply, I like to burn shit and throw paint, and I use what I have and what I can find to create. I experiment with spray paint, natural pigments and their physical material. Ash from flowers, joints, palo santo charcoal. The tactile nature of making things excites me ans getting my hands in the material is a necessity. My practice is usually very physical; Breaking things, tearing fabric, setting (small) fires, using my body parts as my brush. It all helps me process my emotions which is at the forefront of my goals in being an artist.

As an artist working in today’s rapidly changing world, how do current events, social themes, or new technologies impact your work? Have you felt compelled to address certain issues or explore new media in response?

I don't feel compelled to comment on social issues, but existing as a black queer woman my existence is political. I comment on personal issues that are likely experienced by more than myself. I want to focus on the joy of releasing anger and tension within ourselves.

Are there any other details about your work, or upcoming exhibitions and projects, that you’d like to share with our audience?

I’m currently expanding my practice by and leaning into performance as a way to highlight process and presence. In January, I’ll be presenting a durational live painting piece called “Red Room” at Cleveland Public Theatre’s SoftLaunch (January 15–17). I also have work scheduled for Duck Rabbit Café in 2026, where I’ll be showing pieces from my black and white series, in addition to a one night only viewing at SHED Project coming February 2026. All of which I am very excited about. Come check em out!

Looking ahead, what directions or projects excite you most, and how do you envision your work growing or changing over the next few years?

Looking ahead, I’m really excited to move more deeply into sculptural work. I want to build things on a larger scale and make freaky objects. I'm seeking opportunities to play with form in the same way I play with flatfound materials on canvas. I’m also drawn to exploring graffiti and other raw ways of marking space and digesting signage. Another direction I’m leaning into is research and talking to other artists about their experiences, their creative practices, and the things that shape how they move through the world. Those conversations fuel me. Through that interest, I’ve been building programs and events that spark community and unorthodox conversations, and I want to keep expanding that side of my practice.