Tony Luella-Chalmers (pronounced Loo-ella Chile-mers) is a mixed media artist, navy veteran, and writer pioneering the concept of A'DOE'A (American Descendants of Enslaved Africans). Rooted in the Mississippi Delta, his multidisciplinary practice spans painting, sculpture, mixed media, fabrication, and textiles, creating work that bridges African American history, mythology, and spirituality.

 

​Drawing from his upbringing in rural Mississippi, Luella-Chalmers has developed a distinctive visual language that incorporates natural and symbolic elements…particularly horns, burlap, and weathered wood…each imbued with metaphorical significance representing protection, endurance, and cultural transformation. The artist's work is deeply influenced by the rhythms of Gospel and Blues music, embedding this improvisational structure into a visual storytelling approach that mirrors the call-and-response patterns fundamental to Black American cultural expression.

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Through his innovative 3D hieroglyphic sculptural writing system and layered mixed media techniques, Luella-Chalmers reimagines Black American origins and experiences, focusing particularly on stories specific to the Mississippi Delta. His art speaks to both personal history and collective memory, blending historical, cultural, and mythical stories.

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By resurrecting overlooked stories and blending African American oral traditions with contemporary artistic practices, Luella-Chalmers aims to create a foundation for future generations while preserving the intimate and often untold stories of his people. Notable works include "Isabella's Vengeance," "Blues as a teen: Gospel's twin brother," and "Harriet Tubman: The Guiding Light," each piece serving as a testament to Luella-Chalmers' mission of developing a material culture for one of the world's youngest ethnic groups, African Americans, whose cultural evolution has been shaped by both external pressures and internal resilience over the past 450-500 years.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​