About Me + My Work

My name is Bela Achaibar and I am a senior at Amherst College pursuing BAs in both Studio Art and Asian Languages and Civilizations with a concentration on Material Culture of the Indian Ocean World.

I work primarily with oil paints and am interested in painting portraits of those I know and love. My paintings tell stories and I work with my subjects on understanding how they want to be painted. I aim to communicate joy in all its complexity, as explored in Zadie Smith’s essay “Joy Is Such A Human Madness.”

I also work in printmaking, beading, and textiles. I am interested in community-based and community-owned making that centers art’s power to bring people together and create safe spaces.

Feel free to contact me if you see something you like, are interested in working together, or to just chat about art.