Kara Mshinda

Kara Mshinda, one-half of GrioXArts, captures moments in time with beauty and precision through photography.

Kara is a visual anthropologist who is best known for using collage, collaborative portraiture, and alternative photo processes to document urban landscapes, candid play, social encounters, and the material culture of daily life. Her current bodies of work integrate instant film photography and archival research on topics ranging from oral history to popular culture history. Kara is the Principal Collaborator of GrioXArts (“gree-oh arts”), a studio-centered art space at Cherry Street Pier that focuses on building community via process-based art education.

At its core, GrioXArts celebrates diversity, fusing distinct artistic practices into a harmonious blend that transcends individual boundaries—the collaborative approach of Kara and Santé Johnson is a dynamic dance of ideas and mediums. Kara’s background in photography, with its ability to capture moments frozen in time, complements Santé’s expertise in textile arts, where fabric and thread breathe life into abstract ideas. Their art is a dialogue between photography and textiles, where visual storytelling takes center stage.

Take a peek inside Kara’s studio.