I Am You

On Display: February 5 – March 15
Opening Reception: Thursday, February 5, from 6 to 8pm

I AM YOU presents a vibrant and deeply personal body of work by New Jersey–based multimedia artist Tatum Sabin, a current student at Howard University. Featuring paintings created over the past two years, the exhibition traces Sabin’s artistic growth through bold color, expressive mark-making, and layered materials that move fluidly between portraiture and abstraction.

Sabin’s work is populated by faces, figures, and symbols that feel both individual and collective. Stylized portraits share space with patterns, florals, stitched fabrics, vinyl records, and recycled materials, creating compositions that pulse with movement and emotion. In several works, swirling lines, repeated gestures, and dense layers of color take center stage, forming energetic abstract fields that evoke motion, sound, and lived experience rather than a single image or narrative.

Rooted in Sabin’s Caribbean American heritage, the exhibition celebrates Black and women’s voices through images that honor beauty, resilience, vulnerability, and joy. Whether through direct gaze in her portraits or through immersive, all-over compositions, her paintings invite viewers into a shared emotional space where identity feels layered, dynamic, and alive.

Iris Gallery Curator Jeremy Moss notes, “Tatum’s work comes from a really genuine place. She believes art should be accessible, joyful, and rooted in community, and you can feel that in every piece. I AM YOU captures her growth over the past two years, her willingness to experiment, to play, and to use her voice to celebrate Black and women’s experiences in a way that feels honest and welcoming.”

Through fearless experimentation and a commitment to sustainability and play, I AM YOU offers a snapshot of an emerging artist in motion. The exhibition invites audiences to slow down, take in the layers, and recognize themselves within the energy, emotion, and connection that run throughout the work.

Artist Bio

Tatum Sabin is a multimedia artist from Orange, New Jersey. She is currently a student at Howard University, where she studies Painting with a minor in Psychology. Sabin has exhibited work throughout the East Coast, including New Jersey, New York, and Washington, D.C., as well as internationally in Sint Maarten and the Netherlands.

A natural-born artist, Sabin’s earliest memories are rooted in time spent at an easel or in art classes, where her instinct for creativity and experimentation first took shape. Her practice often incorporates recycled materials, reflecting a commitment to sustainability and intentional making.

Drawing inspiration from her Caribbean American heritage, Sabin’s work centers on community, identity, and Black creative joy. Through bold color, layered materials, and expressive imagery, she seeks to create work that feels accessible, celebratory, and deeply connected to shared experience.

Accessibility & Accommodation

If you or a member of your party needs assistance, please notify SOPAC at the time your tickets are purchased. Contact the SOPAC Box Office at (973) 313-2787 or boxoffice@SOPACnow.org.