Multi-media artist and polymath RaFia’s practice centers on self-portraiture through the lens of gentrification, millennial issues, mental illness, racism, and sensory overload. With surrealist distortions, hypnotic animations, and bass-heavy music production, RaFia seeks to both soothe and alert the viewer to a new reality.

Dizzillusions (2018) is a self-portrait, digitally painted and animated in a looping video. The artist’s head floats against a background of psychedelic waves and vibrating, color-shifting shapes. In the context of Times Square, Dizzillusions speaks to the experience of sensorial abundance living in the city.

“Times Square is an overwhelming venue for many people, with so many lights, hustlers, and electronic ad spaces vying for human attention. Dizzillusions is a representation of that experience. With my work, I provide a stimulating respite for those struggling with the normalization of hyper-productivity and the exhausting capitalization of distraction.”

—RaFia, Artist