Next Big Thing: Tadáskía

Drawing has always been central to Tadáskía’s creative output. As a child, she wrote on the walls and doors of her parents’ home. Then, in 2024, she found herself illustrating the walls of New York’s Museum of Modern Art with vibrant, kaleidoscopic birds and colorful swirls that solidified her place as an artist on the rise.

Tadáskía’s process depends on the medium. “In drawing, I usually start with my eyes closed, using charcoal, dry pastel, or oil stick—even lipstick or nail polish,” she explains. “In some of my sculptures, I generally work without a prior plan. I gather and renew organic materials, so they don’t rot, but over time fruits, vegetables, and liquids need to be refreshed. I enjoy this renewal; it feels like a promise.”

New direction: Recently, the artist, who also writes poetry, has been using darker tones, which she describes as “energetically agitated.” This palette balances the more tranquil, lighter colors she’s used in the past, creating what she calls a “rainbow emerging on the horizon of the world’s chaos.”

“Tadáskía’s bold, energetic work explodes with color in harmony with her poetry. Her practice centers those who are marginalized but does so with joy, with poetic narrative,” says Komal Shah, collector and founder of Making Their Mark Foundation.

A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2025 Winter issue under the headline “Next Big Things.” Subscribe to the magazine.