abdu mongo ali

Multi-disciplinary artist, musician, and poet abdu mongo ali was the BMA’s inaugural Alice and Franklin Cooley Composer in Residence. Inspired by the Museum’s collection and exhibitions, ali created between every breath, there is atmosphere, a sonic and visual performance that explored how the atmospheric and ecological conditions of Maryland’s southern Atlantic region shape the lives of contemporary Black Baltimoreans.

The work took its title from ali’s poetry and reflected on the interconnectedness of Blackness, queer life, and the enduring legacies of slavery. Developed through the residency, the project demonstrated the powerful dialogue that can emerge between visual art, music, performance, and poetry.

As part of the BMA’s Turn Again to the Earth initiative, ali’s residency explored themes of ecology, environment, and human connection, offering a new perspective on the Museum’s collection and the world around us.

abdu mongo ali is a musician, poet, and cross-disciplinary artist who works with sound, video, text, and performance. They see their work as poetic inquiries of identity, often deconstructing binary ideas of race, gender, and sexuality. Ali has performed and exhibited work at many institutions such as MoMa PS1, Carnegie Museum of Art, Baltimore Museum of Art, Andy Warhol Museum, and the Kennedy Center. They have participated in residencies with Red Bull Music Academy and Pioneer Works and was recently a visiting artist at the Brown Arts Institute. They have also presented lectures and talks at Harvard University, Stanford University, and Towson University, and their writing has been supported by Bread Loaf and published in Pin Up Magazine, NiiJournal, Art Papers, and the Little Patuxent Review. Ali is a recipient of the 2023 Mary Sawyers Baker Prize and is a 2023 USA Fellow. They hold an MFA in Literary Arts from Brown University.