Shirt Biology (redacted)

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PROLIFIC

Brandt Maina | RIOA wa ROE (They/He/Her) is a Portland-based QQQQQ abstRact artist and absuRdist writer and performer from Nairobi, Kenya. In 2016, they moved from Kenya to rural Indiana at 19 years old, a seven-year Crash Course on everything America has to offer a Black QQQQQ IIIIIIIII. 

 

With a background in the arts, and fresh memories of being homeless in downtown Portland, Brandt documents and abstracts his autobiography into pastel drawings, surreal poetry, absurdist plays, particular photography, genre-fluid music, and Presencing™ performances
which shape sacred spaces –

 

yes,

experiences for everyone to slow down,

breathe in deeply,

and joyously exhale our collective traumas.

RIOA has had two staged readings at Portland Center Stage and shown their photography and drawing at Blue Sky Gallery, P:EAR, Past Lives Gallery, and Gallery 114. He has works in private collections in Portland including SERA Architects, and has been commissioned to write and perform poetry. 

In his advocacy and social practice work,
Brandt worked with PUSH Movement as a creative program designer for their after-school work within the Portland School Districts and with at-risk and homeless youth in our city. In 2023, Brandt also completed a training course and community project with Oregon Health Equity Alliance where he co-wrote and designed a financial planning resource book for African Immigrants and Refugees. In 2024, they worked as a community leads contractor with SmartCity PDX on a data justice project that included collaborating on some of the City of Portland's data dashboards. His final project facilitated conversations between at-risk and homeless youth and the Portland social workers who support them as a means of understanding what systems are working and what could be improved within the city's Homeless Youth Continuum program. Maina's research was presented to city officials and shared online. 







LONGer BIO (but wait there's more vision2020's)


Currently, 

right at this very moment,

1. 

RIOA wa ROE is editing the SpringSummer2023 collection of 9 short plays, Succinct Suppositions. He is systematically editing and workshopping the scripts and sharing this collection as exhibitions and staged readings performed in Portland, Oregon

Play No. 1: Bard Bird - Performed at Portland Center Stage in Spring 2023
Play No. 6: Burnt Bread - Performed at Portland Center Stage in Summer 2023 JAW Festival
Play No. 2: Baby Buddy - Performed at ILY2Too in Summer 2024
Play No. 3: Mother Daddy - Performed at ILY2Too in Summer 2024
Play No. 5: MoonBloom - Performed at Shaking the Tree Theater in Summer 2024

Subscribe for updates on SpringSummer 2026 performances

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2. 

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Brandt is also working to produce a tv pilot

for a series on their experience of the postmodern American dream

as an international student studying musical theater
at a conservative Christian school
in rural Indiana
between 2016 - 2020
Comedy, Drama, Ballet in the cornfields, Forbidden QQQQQ romances, 
Wong Kar-Wai meets Justin Simien

 

3. 

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They are editing the first two plays they wrote,

Occasionally Other People Come In (2021)

and

The Blooming CHAOS if a Hot Summer (2022)

 

4. 

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And composing and developing ethereal tri-lingual wailings on a 5 string guitar for an album titled, “she broke my G string”, 

 

all the while.... 

 

5. 

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Meticulously cataloging and finding gallery spaces for more than 8 collections/series of drawings documenting their experience as an IIIIIIIII applying for AAAAAA status over the past two years, 

 

July 2021 to…

HERE,
NOW

RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW

 

6. 

And of course, there’s all the photography and video documentary – lordy me oh my
With more to come, me oh my, 

 

An archivist with 50GB of performances by Portland-based artists of varying melanation 

 

And, and

She’s hoarding, HOARDING, 16 rolls of 35mm film from these same past two years
Some developed, some undeveloped 

All of it
JUICYYYYYYYY!!! Girl, JUICY! 
 

7. 

Anyway, girl

Andy Worhol is a whale, girl 

 

Once more
Right Here

Rye Tear, Rai Music is pretty good actually
 

8. 

Brandt Maina
RIOA wa ROE

Is a Prolific Artist

And And And
the Confidence in the calm of Her smile is Her charm

the Crystalline Clarity and Certainty of His vision
 

9. 

LAVA MOVING AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT

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Brandt also goes by the name RIOA wa RIOE 
 

[Ri-Oh-Ah wah Ri-Oh- Ei] 
 

RIOA for short. 

The name means “Sun from the River” in Kikuyu.  

 

🌞🤲🏽

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I also identify as an absurdist clown and would remind us all that we need not take ourselves too seriously. Formalities are for fools and egos for Kanye. 

 

Welcome to my digital journal
Delve as deep as you wish
All who return must leave an offering for the unknown gods
Good Luck 

- All my love and light