Zella Vanié is a multidisciplinary artist and writer based in New York City, known for their powerful large-scale paintings that explore themes of protest, Black queer identities, and liberation. With an MFA from the School of Visual Arts, Zella has taught at New York University and California College of the Arts. Their work, deeply rooted in personal experience and dialogue with their community, often incorporates elements of precolonial Guro animism. A former US Army satellite operator with deployments to Iraq and Haiti, Zella is also a proud board member of the Black Veterans Project. Their art challenges viewers to confront themes of captivity, emergence, and freedom.